The Life and Story of Finnick Odair
by imstillarockstar53
Summary: Finnick Odair's life from the beginning until the end of Mockingjay. Annie/Finnick Rated T cause it's the Hunger Games.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! This is my newest story! I am going to be writing more POVs for the Hunger Games because I absolutely love writing Johanna's so I have decided to write more! Just to let you know, you haven't read Mockingjay you shouldn't read this story. You can read some of my other ones though. Anyway, hopefully I am not horrible at writing in a boy's POV! Please review and favorite!**

**~MiKayla**

**P.S. If you had no idea what I was talking about when I mentioned my Johanna story, I suggest you check out my profile. Just a thought.**

I sit on the edge of the water, about to fall in. I want to fall in. My name is Finnick Odair. I live and breathe. I live in District 4. I was a victor of the Hunger Games. I am abused by the Capitol. It all started the reaping of the 66th Hunger Games.

"Come on Finnick we have to go!" My little sister yells at me from down stairs. We are richer than the other people here in four. My dad owns a boat that is used to fish crabs. Crabs are only eaten in the Capitol. I have never tasted one.

I quickly throw on a blue button down shirt and somewhat tie my yellow tie on. I run down stairs and grab by brown coat because it is in the midst of fall when it is cool. I make my way into the courtyard. In the middle is a statue of Poseidon from ancient times when the world first started. He is holding a trident. My mind flashes back to the day I got my first trident. It was only three years ago when I turned eleven.

My dad took me to the shop. He had me hold every one of those tridents and none of them worked. My dad paid a lot of money for my very own trident. He had it crafted out of the finest driftwood with green paint over it. My dad normally does crabbing but I loved my trident. I wasn't natural at all. My first try, I stabbed my foot and had a broken foot. I never stopped thinking about the water though.

I find my place with all my other friends. Next year, my sister will be crying because it will be her first reaping.

"You gonna get picked?" Daniel asks me. I shove him.

"No you are!" We love to kid about this kind of thing. None of us want to get picked. We are supposed to because we live in one of the richer districts. It is supposed to be a honor. We all joke around, making fun of Noah and his new girlfriend. He gets a new one every month. However, when the mayor comes up to the stage we don't stop. We make stupid hand signals at each other and end up in a fierce thumb war competition.

Suddenly, I hear my name being called. My world stops. Noah and Daniel look at me like, Get up there dude! I fumble my way up the stairs to the platform. I look up to the screens to see my eyes as big as watermelons. I am hardly breathing. No one volunteers.

When it is time for us to say goodbye, my family comes in. My dad is the most cheerful. All my sister does is cry. Daniel and Noah come in. We have one final thumb war, which I end up winning. They give me my token, a leather bracelet that has the words "Wars of the Sea." A bunch of girls come in. They all start crying that I am leaving. I promise them I will try to come back and they end up being dragged out.

We head on the train stations as we pull away. The last thing I see of District 4 is the ocean with my dad's crabbing boat floating in the middle of it. My mentor comes in, an older middle aged lady, named Mags. She won one of the first games. She is the only one of us alive to remember the dark days. She could be my grandmother. She sure acts like one.

There are some people that are way too nice to be victors. Mags is one of them. I remember watching another girl a few years back named Cecelia, who was also way to nice to win. I wonder how they did it. It took a long time that the niceness was just a show.

"Hi." I give a half wave.

"Why, aren't you a handsome feller?" Mags sits next to me.

"So what are you good at?" She asks.

"Tridents." She nods and leaves. I could see her mind working as she left. She has a plan. Well, I do too. Mine ends with me coming home.


	2. Chapter 2

The Capitol is amazing and breathtaking. The buildings are tall and made out of the finest stone. There is no poverty, no shack outside of the city with the people living in it barely eating. I walk into the famed room known as the training room. I have no idea what to do. Mags told me to be myself. Myself does not belong here.

I wander over to the Careers, who I am expected to join. I hate all of them almost instantly. Everyone, except for the girl from District 1, is stupid and hungry for fame. I stroll over to her and sit next to her on the bench of the knot tying station.

"Hi." She smiles and brushes the hair out of her face. She drops her knot.

"I suck at this."

"No, no, you don't. Let me teach you." I help her find the ways that the rope can twist in and out. When we are done, I have a new ally. Her name is Candra. We both walk around together to every station. I don't like, like her. She is a friend and an ally. She has the strengths of my weaknesses.

When it is time to be judged and get our scores, I want to make a huge impression. Sadly, they don't have tridents so I try throwing knifes. It doesn't work to well and I get a 7.

Mags helps me decide my image for the games. I am told to be humble just like I was at home. The class clown, the one that doesn't care about anything. I can do that. When it is time to get dressed for the chariot rides, I am wearing a blue and green suit that makes me look like I have scales. The chariot ride is uneventful. I do find out that her name is Selena and that she comes from the outer part for four that mainly consist of the poor people that make nets and hooks. Mags used to live there.

Our Victor's Village has so many victors that they had to build extra houses. It has something to do with being a Career. I won't be a Career. If I win, I don't want to have the attributes of one of them. We wave to the crowds. When it is my turn to walk up to the podium to answer my questions, I make a decision that I have to be a people person.

"So, Finnick Odair, are you ready for these games?"

"Um, yeah, I guess. You never know what's coming until it gets there though."

"True, very true. Any one special back home?"

"No, not really. Many people think they are though!" I wink at the crowd and I know I have won people over.

"Good luck, Finnick." The buzzer rings and I go over at sit next to the other people. Everyone else's is boring and I don't pay attention. Candra tells me they were just scared of going after me. I try to laugh. It's harder than ever before because for all I know it could be the last funny thing I ever hear. It might be the last time I see Candra alive. I don't know because tomorrow we are going into the Games.

That night, I don't sleep and I don't try to. In the morning, I wake up and my prep team gets me ready in my outfit for this year's games. I don't ask too many questions and they don't either. I wonder how many people they have prepared for the Games but end up dying. I wouldn't be able to do that job. I head up to my plate. The last thing Mags tells me is to remember home. I promise her that it will be my last dying thought. I get up on the plate and it rises to the arena.

All I can see are 2 huge hills with a pond in the middle and the Cornucopica on an island in the middle of the pond. We are going to have to swim for supplies. That is no biggie for me. I've been swimming since I could walk. I run off my plate with confidence. I jump in the water that feels just like home. It feels like flying until I pull myself up onto land and find I am the first one here.

Some people opted out of swimming are running off toward the hills. I grab a couple of knifes, a backpack, and an extra pair of socks, and shove them into the backpack. I jump back into the water just as the battle starts breaking out. I jump back onto land and run far away until I can't hear the clash of people anymore.

When I finally get as far as I can go without cramping, I stop and try and figure out how to climb a tree. We only have palm trees in District 4. I get the hang of it and I climb to the top of the tree and look out all around the arena. The water is now stained with blood and the Careers are going through everything left of the Cornucopia.

"Hey, watcha doing up there?" I hear someone shout from beneath me. They don't want to kill me or they would've done it by know. I look down and see Candra.

"You made it!" She nods and puts her hand up to shield the light out of her eyes.

"You got a game plan?" She asks me. I seriously have no idea what to do now. I shake my head.

"You better get up here though. If someone finds you just standing there, you are dead meat." I put my hand out to her and help her up. We go through our supplies. The anthem starts and we look up to the sky. So far the boy from 1, both from 3, the girl from 5, the boy and girl from 7, the boy from 9, the boy from 10, the girl from 11, and both from 12 have died. I think about those people's families. I think about Candra losing her partner. She shrugs at me and I know not to mention it.

We break up some of the dried meat from my pack for dinner. Then we fall asleep. We wake up in the morning to a mist. I stretch my hand out from the branches of the tree. This isn't normal mist. I start gathering up everything and I wake up Candra. She sees the urgency in my eyes and she runs with me out of the mist. By the time we are out, I can barely here and I have a huge scar on my leg that stops me from running. Candra has an eye sealed shut. We are in terrible condition. Once the mist clears up, I hear three cannons in a row. Someone had come after us and they weren't as lucky as us. We keep walking slowly because of my leg. I am almost begging Mags to send us some medicine or something that could help us. We receive nothing.

We make our way to a cave by a stream. I try to pour some of the water on her eye and slowly it opens again. She lost most of her vision, though. Nothing can help my ear but I soak one of the socks in the water and place it on my leg.

"What's your token?" She asks me.

"This." I roll up my sleeve to show her the leather bracelet. She rolls up her pants leg to show me an ankle bracelet made of duct tape.

"My friends made it for me. They like the way it sparkled." We suddenly turn our heads toward a sound from the woods. Even with my damaged ear, it is loud. Suddenly, a dart flies at us and we duck out of the way. It flies into the stream and fizzes. We scramble to get out our supplies when the figure emerges out of the woods. It is the girl from 10 and the boy from 11.

She shoots her arrow and it pierces the girl it the chest. The boy gets seriously angry and as he charges us I throw my knife at him but it misses. He keeps coming with his sword and I get slashed across the arm. I make a dive for my knife and he jump on top of me. He has his sword at my throat when Candra throws a rock at his head and it hits him hard. He drops to the ground, dead. We leave the area and find a tree to stay for the night.

"Thanks." I mumble when we get up in the tree. The anthem starts and I see that both from 2, Selena, the girl from 10, and the boy from 11 have died. We didn't hear a fight so we start thinking of things that could've killed the Careers. We turn and look at each other at the same time.

"The mist." She whispers. I nod. They were coming after us. We are now the only Careers left. But I am not a Career. I watch her as she sleeps and I wonder if she is one.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi! I wasn't writing over the past week because I had exams and then Christmas, so now that is over and I have winter break! Anyway, let's get into the chapter!**

**~MiKayla**

In the morning, the whole arena feels different. All the Careers are gone and only nine of us are left. I make a mental list of all of them and realize I don't know any of their names. I heard the interviews the year Haymitch won, who knew all of them, and he had a lot of problems afterward. I am happy that I don't know their names. I never want the pain of seeing their face in the sky, like Selena's.

I jump out of the tree and Candra follows. We start looking for food. Neither of us has the weapons to kill an animal and we also have no idea what plants are poisonous. Candra taps me on the shoulder and points up a tree. I turn around expecting to find an animal but I find the girl from 11.

"Don't." She whispers from the tree. She leaps down and knocks the leaves out of my hand.

"Those are poisonous." I like this girl. She is quiet and sneaky. She knows food. I think we should join her.

"Can you find us something that is edible?" She walks close to the ground, not even touching some. She finds a bunch of berries behind a tree. She picks a few and walks back to us. She holds them out.

I reach for one before Candra grabs my hand.

"You eat one first." Candra commands her. She eats one and nothing happens. I eat one and finally Candra gives in.

"What's your name?" I ask her. Candra gives me a look, which reads don't make friends with her. I can see the Career coming out.

"Blair." She whispers. I am about to ask her another question, when an announcement comes overhead.

"Tomorrow, there will be a feast at the Cornucopia!" Templesmith calls over. Candra perks up and Blair doesn't seem so excited.

"We are going!" Candra stands up and cleans her suit off.

"Are you sure we should do this?" I ask her. She nods like I am stupid.

"We could die." I tell her. She nods.

"We are going too eventually."

"What does that mean?"

"We're not going to make it especially with our new recruit. She's like 12!"

"So?"

"You are 14. No one has ever been that young."

"There is a first time for everything." I turn on my heel and motion for Blair to come with me.

"Ugh!" She turns around too and starts walking back to our previous camp.

That night, no one dies. Blair and I climb up a tree and make our plans for the feast. We are going to go to show off to Candra. We decide that I will go in while Blair stays in the tree. We are pretty sure everyone else is going to go to so she will be safe. In case something happens, she has to run to the Cornucopia because our tree is close enough that she can run it. Just like the first night, I can't sleep. That morning, people are already closing in on the Cornucopia. I jump from the tree and make my way too.

The doors open up and I can see the pack with my name on it. I make a run for it and somehow end up being the first one inside. I grab my pack, open it, and find a trident. It has to have cost a ton of money. I must have sponsors. I love Mags.

I leave the bag on the floor and guard the front of the Cornucopia. I throw my trident at the girl from 8 and she dies. I run over to retrieve it. I grab it out of her and take off toward Blair. I get there safely, and she isn't dead.

It turns out that Blair is even better at making nets than I am and we start weaving them out of grass. We make six nets, enough for everyone in the arena besides us. We decide to wait until tonight to use them. We hear two cannons go off from the feast. We look up in the sky to see the girl from 8, the boy from 8, and the girl from 6. We have extra nets now. I realize that at one point I might have to kill Candra or Blair. I don't want to do either.

The next morning, we set off to find someone. We plant a net near the river and hide up in a tree. We stare down at the net, waiting like a leopard ready to jump. Candra is walking along the riverside with her hand pressed against her forehead. She looks ready to faint. She steps on the trap and it springs up against a branch. I jump down from the tree so I can get a better angle.

"Come on Finnick, we were friends!" She screams at me from above. I don't think I can do this. I realize that I must. Before I can process what I am doing, the trident is out of my hands and flying through the air at Candra. Her screams suddenly stop. I pull the trident out of the net and Blair jumps down with me. We keep walking along. The good news is that everyone that I am scared of is out of the arena. The only person that I still kind of fear is Blair. She is my ally and sometimes allies can do the worst things to you, especially if you see or cause their death.

**Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! And a Happy New Year too if I don't post before then, but I probably will!**


	4. Chapter 4

We keep walking around for the rest of the day setting up nets. We make sure all of them are in running distance of camp. I don't know what will happen if we have to flee in the night. I try to not think about that. When we are done, we settle down in the tree.

"Finnick, what happens if I don't win?" She asks me. I can tell she is scared.

"I will make sure you are remembered. If I die after you, I'll mention you as part of my final words." She seems reassured. I can tell she doubts she will win.

"How did you learn how to knot?" I ask her.

"Back in 11, we don't have a lot of money so we make certain things out of the stems of plants. We tie them together really tight together so nothing will fall out. We make baskets mainly to put all of our crops in." I can't imagine not having everything that I have. I have never thought about having to claim tesserae every year. I never did it. I can tell that she did so her family could have food.

"What is District 4 like?"

"Every morning, the fishermen go out to the sea and fish for all kinds of sea creatures. They have a force field so you can't go too far out and get lost. Then they bring them ashore and we have to scale them and prepare them. We send them off to the Capitol. We only get the fish that are too small or too young that the Capitol doesn't like."

"Sounds a lot better than 11." Her voice is muffled in the trees. I hope she doesn't find me annoying or a rich brat. If she does, than what am I to the rest of Panem? The same way. I hate how we from the upper districts are perceived. I can't let anyone else think that. I turn to her.

"Here. Take this." I take off my leather bracelet and hand it to her. Her eyes widen at the sight of leather. It costs a lot in 4 so it most cost even more in 11.

"Thanks." She tells me. We hear a trap go off and start running toward it. I throw my trident at whoever is in the trap. It wasn't a fatal blow so I pull it out and throw it again. This time it happens. I pull my trident out and Blair looks at me.

"I wish I could help."

"Are you serious? You made these awesome nets." She smiles. I feel like she is my little sister. I need to take care of her not only because she is my ally. Wait, ally. That person in the net must have an ally. I hear a crack in the woods and we start running toward the noise. We won't have a chance unless they trigger a net. We come face to face with the boy from district 6. That means we have a good chance that the person in the net was the girl from district 6.

He wasn't even close to a trap. He was closer to our tree camp, which we decided not to put any nets around. The closest one was at least 3 minutes away. We had to chase him there. Blair and me started running behind and he, not being stupid, ran from us. He was about to turn around and shoot us with his arrow. Blair ran behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and started chasing after Blair who was now in front. I could tell she wasn't going to back it. I looked at her with a worried expression and she looked back like she knew what she had to do. I watched as she slowed her pace and the arrow flew into her. She timed it exactly right. Just as the arrow left the bow, he stepped into the net. I threw my trident carelessly into the net and managed to somehow kill him. I ran over to where Blair was dying.

I grabbed her hand. "Thanks." She whispered.

"For what?"

"Making me feel worthwhile, making friends with me, and choosing me over a Career." Her eyes fluttered. I pushed her hair from her eyes and she left. I knew they would be coming to take her away. I left her in peace, like the peace of the water. I started wandering away. I collected most of the other traps because I wanted to leave this area and it's haunting memories as fast as possible.

On my way, I ran into the boy from district 5. I woke up from my depression like I always do. That's why Daniel calls me the "comeback kid." I throw my trident at him and it kills him. I don't feel any emotion just happiness that I could win this thing. I could get out of here alive. I fall asleep in a tree. I realize that I spent a night with Candra in this tree and I switch trees. I drown out the announcement of who is dead because I already know who is dead. I killed them all.

The next morning all food sources are gone. Even if they were still here, I wouldn't have been able to gather food because Blair normally did that. I walk towards the Cornucopia. I know that the gamemakers are pushing us together so we can fight. The only person left besides me is the girl from District 9, the district that makes grain. I don't know how she made it this long.

I start running when I see a shadow move in front of me. A knife wizzes past my ear from up a tree. I stare upwards and find the face of the girl. Truthfully, I have this one. I pull out my trident. I throw it up at her. I don't hear the last cannon because of my deaf ear. The voice comes over the speakers.

"Finnick Odair, district 4, you have just won the Hunger Games!"

**Yeah! He won! Next we have the Victory Tour. If you have read Johanna's life I just skipped to the 74****th**** Hunger Games but I am not this time! You'll get to read about Annie's games and then Katniss' games. **

**~MiKayla**

**Please review! It's right there… that button…that lets you make my day by reviewing!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks so much for reviewing! If it is something to work on or something that didn't make sense, I will normally rewrite parts of the chapter or put it in the next one so you really do make a difference when you review! I am thinking about doing a SYOT so if you want it, vote on my profile. Thanks!**

**~MiKayla**

The air in the hospital smells gross. I find it strange that that is the first thing I think when I wake up. I can hear voices talking in the hallway. Wait, I can hear! The doctors must have fixed my ear. I put my hand over the other ear and I could still hear. I wanted to get up and move. People started coming in from the Capitol. First, President Snow.

"Congrats Finnick." I thank him. He seems like a horrible person.

"Do you like me?" That was the most direct question I have ever heard in my life.

"Well, yeah, sir." I don't know if I should could him sir but I decide I should.

"Can you do something?" My first response is no. It should be no. If I say no, he will kill me and then my life will be ruined. It has already been ruined enough.

"May I ask what it is?" He chuckles.

"Finnick, I know you don't normally talk like that. And, yes, you may. Many people in the Capitol are in love with you and your looks. We would like you to help us and meet them, date them…" His voice trails off. They want me to be the lover boy of the Capitol? I would be foolish to say no. I don't want to say yes but I realize I have too.

"Yeah, sure." He smiles, but his smile isn't a normal smile. He leaves with a wave of his hand. Next, my prep team. They just tell me that I did a good job and that they look forward to seeing me on the victory tour. Mags comes in. She is smiling just a grandmother would.

"You did really good Finnick. So strong and you played the game amazingly. I was so nervous up in the control room." I realize I am going to have to be a mentor. It freaks me out that now I have to do this every year. Watching people die is not high on my list of things to do. In fact, it isn't on there! She hugs me and leaves. I am now alone. I call my doctor over who has been sitting in the room the entire time.

"How much longer until home?" The train stops. I leap out of bed and over to the window. My dad's boat isn't on the water like normal. He has never taken a day off before now. I change out of the hospital gown until something that I would wear on a normal day at home, a green shirt and brown shorts. I push open the door of the train and I am swamped with people.

My family comes up first, my sister and my parents. They lead me to our new home. It reminds me of our old home but much fancier and in a new area. My mom starts crying and my dad starts a speech about how good I did. My sister even hugs me. They let me go an hour later.

As I make my way to Daniel's house, I am swamped my girls. When I make it Daniel's house, I have at least 16 girls following me. Daniel opens his door and pulls me in.

"Dude! You rocked it!" He high fives me. We go into his kitchen where his mom had cooked some pies, berry pies. I get a horrible flashback of Blair picking berries. I hold onto the back of the kitchen chair until it stops. I try and finish it because I know many of these ingredients are expensive.

"Noah's got a new girlfriend! All he had to do was say he was your best friend!" Daniel and I walk to Noah's house with Daniel ushering off many people.

Noah is already waiting on the front steps. I wave to him. Noah is the mayor's son so the mayor is standing behind him.

"Great job Finnick! You make district 4 proud!" I smile and pretend to listen while Noah is giving me hand signals just like old times. The only difference is that I am not paying attention to a speech about the games rather than about grades or my dad's ship. I just got caught up on everything that has happened since I left. When the mayor leaves, we go back to playing thumb war just like we did on reaping day.

"Is it scary?" Noah asks. I don't want to talk about it so I just give him a one word answer.

"Yes." I decide to go into the candy store and buy something for us. We didn't go in here much. Our money needed to be spent on better things. I pick up something called rock candy and lay them on the counter.

The girl starts writing the prices down on a pad. I give her the money and she makes change. She rips off the paper and hands it to me.

"Thanks, I don't know your name." I stutter the end part. I don't want to sound mean.

"It's okay. I'm Annie Cresta." She heads in the back part of the shop. We leave and suck on these rock candies. They taste like pure sugar. Flashbacks happen the entire rest of the day. I try and make it through.

I keep having a feeling about Annie Cresta. And I don't like that feeling.

**Now, I'm going to skip to the 70****th**** Hunger Games, when Annie is picked. Remember to vote and review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**We are now fast forwarding to the 70****th**** Hunger Games…**

I stand next to the mayor of district 4, who also happens to be Noah's dad. I look out into the crowds of people, with the girls on the left and the boys on the right. The twelve year olds are crying and the eighteen year olds are happy because if they can make it out of the reaping this time, they won't ever have to do it again. The mayor seems worried because Noah isn't here yet. He finally calls over a peacekeeper to bring him here. The peacekeeper marches off to Noah's house.

We are finally allowed to sit down on the very uncomfortable wooden chairs. I lean forward so my back doesn't hit the back of the chair. Our still overly happy escort, Tabia Tatter, who used to be the escort for 7, comes on stage. It is her first year with this district. I look into the crowds and find my sister, Flora, standing with her friends from school in the 16 year old section. This year would've been my first year not possibly being reaped. My dad still owns the crabbing boat because he wouldn't know what to do without it. I wouldn't either.

Every day, except Sunday, I head out on the boat with the other fisherman. I am not treated differently because I've won a game. The water is unlike everything. I can't explain it much more than like what flying would feel like. When you crab, you don't have to go into the water but you can still feel the mist on your face. The actual crabbing is calming.

I snap back to real life and end up catching the end of the mayor's speech about the creation of the Hunger Games. I've already heard it so much; I could repeat it in my sleep. I look over to Tabia, who is shaking in her very tall purple boots. She must not be used to the cool ocean breeze. She comes over to the girls' ball without saying anything. I need to talk to Johanna about her. I'm guessing Johanna is happy she left her district.

She sticks her hand in the bowl with all the girls' names and pulls out a piece of paper. She walks over to the microphone and unfolds it. Please, don't let it be my sister!

"Annie Cresta!" Annie Cresta, I remember that name. I look into the crowds at the girl who I recognize from the candy shop, which I frequent now. She has dark brown hair cut to her shoulders and sea green eyes, like everyone else. She is now 17. I know she can do a lot besides sell candy because I've seen her swimming from the crabbing boat. She stands on the left side of Tabia.

Tabia digs her hand into the boy's bowl. Just five years ago, my name was being pulled out of that bowl and being said by a much less annoying woman.

"Kayne Wilos!" Kayne comes out of the crowd. He is in the section of 15 year olds. He has blond hair and green eyes. He isn't built strong but I could work with him.

"Happy Hunger Games!" Tabia shouts.

I help them board the train because I really want to be a good mentor. District 4 hasn't had a winner since me. We let them be escorted to their rooms by some Capitol staff.

After a long conversation, we decide we will both mentor each of them together. Sometimes, in districts with more than one mentor, they each have one tribute. We have done that the past couple of years and it hasn't worked. I head to my room, which is smaller than the tributes. I don't unpack my bag because I don't want to. After a while, I get up and head to Annie's room.

I knock on the door before entering. When I walk in, I remember that this was my old room. The room still has the purple velvet couch over by the window and the bed in the corner. A coffee table and chairs sit in the middle of the room. I find Annie staring out the window, like most tributes do.

"I think that is district 10." I tell her. District 10 is the easiest to find because a bunch of cows are grazing along the railroad tracks.

"It's pretty." She doesn't look at me when she says this. I nod because I don't want to tell her what lies inside of the cow pastures. The answer is poverty and run down houses. It doesn't smell good either. The grass is pretty but that is about as pretty as it gets.

She doesn't want to talk. I get up to leave. I am about to open the door when she stops me.

"Can you help me, to win?" I know that this isn't the answer she knows she will get, which is yes. Mentors sometimes don't even try to help. Haymitch is one of them. Other mentors, give advice and skill training until the very last second, which is the type I try to be.

"Yeah, whatever you need." I tell her and I am truthful. She doesn't say anything else so I leave. I walk over to Kayne's room.

"Hi!" He seems excited.

"Hi." I sit down on the chair next to the coffee table.

"Can I be a Career?" Wow, kid, you've got plans.

"Yeah. Well, anyone can be a part of the alliance, but generally it is districts 1, 2, and 4. So yeah you can be one." He seems excited.

"Slow down. Judge them first." He nods but I don't think he got the point.

"I'm going to win. We are going to have a new victor in town!" This kid is getting annoying. The cocky ones never win.

"We will see about that." I leave the room and I'm pretty sure Kayne has a million other questions. I'll let Mags answer them. I head to the dining room for dinner because I am starving. Everyone is already there, except for Kayne. I pull out the seat from under the table and sit down. The table is made from a different wood than we have in 4, so the chairs are much more comfortable. I spoon some soup in my bowl and get a roll out of the basket. I see the cooks took my request for the ones with seaweed. I rip off a chunk of the bread and dip it in my soup.

We mainly eat in silence until Kayne comes.

"What is this?"

"Soup with chicken."

"What is this?"

"Soup with broccoli."

"What is broccoli?"

"A vegetable that looks like a tree but tastes a lot better than a tree."

"What is that?"

"Chicken and mustard."

"What's mustard?"

It goes on for the entire rest of the meal. I am very happy when he finally decides on something to eat. I wish I could leave at any point but that would be rude.

"Annie, what are your skills?" She shrugs.

"Oh, Annie can do a ton of stuff. I know because my sister is friends with Annie. She can swim really fast and she can throw stuff really far." Kayne tells me.

"See, you can do stuff!" I tell her. She seems a little bit happier.

"I can do stuff too! I can tell you exactly what somebody's weaknesses are and then I can come up with plans. I'm not too good with weapons, but I'll just let some other Careers do it for me. Annie could do it!" Annie doesn't seem too pleased with Kayne's idea. I almost laugh at her expression.

When Kayne is finally done asking what all the desserts are, we go in to watch the other reapings. I don't see anyone that scares me but Annie finds fear in a few. I think Annie likes Kayne. I think I remember she had a brother. When we are finished with the reapings, I walk Annie back to her cabin.

"I like Kayne. He reminds me of my little brother. He would look like him too if he had brown hair. I want to win, for him." I nod and remember my sister and wanting to return to her even if she was annoying.

"Good night, Annie."

"Good night, Finnick."

**I took all of your reviews into account when writing this and I would love to know what you think of this chapter! **

**~MiKayla**


	7. Chapter 7

I am in Kayne's room, answering multiple annoying questions, most of which are answered by "Wait until you're in the arena." He is asking me about the different weather conditions, how to fight people, how to climb trees. I know the landscape of Panem very well. I have driven by it so many times that I can tell you the landmarks along the way. District 10 with the many cows grazing, District 7 with so many trees you can't even see the people, District 3 with huge factories and smoke piping out huge columns. I look out the window and see the last district before the Capitol, District 1.

District 2 is the last district before the Capitol. The sign outside of the district shows how proud and rich they are. The sign is a simple sign, purple with lights around it so it sparkles. The sign just says District 2 but the fact that they even have a sign is crazy. Johanna told me that in a country once called America every district had signs. Wait, they were called states. The people rush to the gates, ready to see the trains come by that hold the tributes. You can't tell what train is for what district, except for a small number with a circle around it in the very front of the train. The people know that the tributes in this train will be their tributes allies.

I duck out of Kayne's room because I do not want to answer all of his many questions about the Capitol. That would be a horrible experience. The memories I have of the Capitol are horrible, miserable moments. I would be happy to destroy it and with it, the memories. On my way back to my room, I run into Mags. Literally, I run into Mags because of my anger with the Capitol and the memories it has forced upon me.

"We are almost at the Capitol." She nods. She doesn't speak much because of a stroke she had in her games. I think that is amazing that she isn't always depressed. She doesn't talk about the dark days at all, even though she can remember them. She can remember the footage of the destruction of District 13. I have seen the footage because they play it all the time on the television. I find it strange that the same bird always flies by.

"Are you ready for…?" It falls off at the end, but with the many years of being with her and being trained by her, I can figure out what she will say. I don't mention it to other people that I can tell what she will say. I know what happens to Beetee and Wiress because I sit in the control room every year, listening to them finish for each other.

"Yeah, I think. I'm ready for them to go into the games." I find this a strange question because the games are so far away. I would keep all my tributes alive if I could. I never want them to leave.

"Do you like?" Do I like them? Kayne is an okay kid; I mean I would be happier if he would shut up with all of his questions. Annie is also a nice girl that I've gotten to know. I like spending time with her.

"Yes." I find that the question is best answered with a one word answer. She nods like she knows what is going on in my mind but she isn't going to comment. I am happy that she goes to get Kayne for the Capitol and that I don't have too.

I think back to the first time I met Mags. That I knew she had a plan, a plan that I didn't even know until I became a mentor myself. That her plan from the beginning was to get me out alive and that she would do anything to make it happen. I do the same thing but I hate that I have to choose one of them to support more than the other. It is horrible, but right now, I'm thinking Annie.

I walk into Annie's room, through the same door that I walked into five years before, scared that I wouldn't ever see this train again. Now, I would be happy if I never saw this train again.

"Are you ready? It's time for the crowds to see you." She is still sitting in the same place the first time I truly met her. I mean, I first met her at the candy store and again at the reapings, but the first time I ever truly met her was here, on this train.

"What if they don't like me?" She looks at me with a sincere expression. She really believes no one will like her. I would like to say she wouldn't get any sponsors but that would be being a bad, careless mentor.

"They will like you, Annie. Everyone on the train likes you. I'm sure you will have more sponsors than any other person before!" I smile at her because I really do believe people will like her. Everyone likes her; she has friends in school and the Avoxes on the train like her too.

"Yeah, but you will always be the better people person." She gets up off of the window seat and walks over to the door.

"That may be true, but you will be second." She laughs as she goes out the door and outside, off the train to meet where Kayne and Mags are already standing. Many people are taking pictures and reporters are filming us. We are hearing shouts of people already wanting for us to win. I don't know how they can decide so early. Some of them are jumping so they could see us, getting ready to decide if they like them. It looks like a rainbow with all the different colors of clothes and skin and hair. I follow her and stand behind her like I have done for five years. It is tradition.

"Soon, you will meet your next biggest fan, your stylist." I tell Annie. I am now determined, even more than before, to get Annie out alive.


	8. Chapter 8

I watch her go into the room that will lead Annie to her stylist. We've been spending the last few days with her all day. She is actually really funny once she gets over her shyness. I feel emptiness when she leaves to get prepped. I leave her with advice that she should never question anything they do. Not like Annie would do that, but I still say it, mainly for Kayne. Now, I need to just think about her plan for staying alive.

What, who am I kidding? There is no way I could start planning without her here. I still don't know who she wants to be or what she is good at. I decide to go to the mentors' center while they are being stylized. We only have a few hours in here today but when training stars, I'll be practically living here.

We don't have to go to the center. You are welcome to stay in your room, but very few of us do. It has to do with the fear of being alone that we develop in the Games. Some of us have it but some of us don't.

When I walk in, I find that the room hasn't changed. The walls still are painted the ugly yellow color; the tables are still set up in rows with hard metal chairs around them. The back wall hasn't been repaired yet from Johanna's anger attack last year. It wasn't pretty. Johanna and I are the only ones here.

"Sup." She is sitting on a table towards the back of the room, but on the opposite side of the broken wall. We all wear the same thing, a pair of black pants and a bright orange shirt with "mentor" on the back.

"You decided to go without a chair this year!" These chairs are often the topic of discussion in here. We don't like to talk about how the games are progressing. That usually ends up in fights that I don't like to get involved in. I sit on the table across from her and kick the chair next to me into the other table. It collapses and Johanna high fives me.

"Way to rebel against the chairs." Johanna is the most sarcastic person that I know. She won the game just two years ago, but she already is one of us, a mentor. I don't want to not be on her side, I watched her kill. She is the closest person here in age and she is also pretty cool.

"Hey, Cecelia!" I feel really bad for Cecelia. She is pregnant with her third child and she still has to be a mentor for the games. I try to talk to her as much as possible but we don't really have much in common. I have to be truthful; Cecelia is what I want to be. I want to have a family like Cecelia has done. I doubt she has fully recovered but she has to be pretty close. I watched her games when I was young.

Cecelia nods and sits on a chair because in her condition, sitting on tables isn't an option. Johanna kicks me in the leg lightly and I pretend to fall off the table. I find it best to take Johanna's actions lightly. She smirks and then turns her attention to Cecelia.

"You got a name yet?" Johanna asks Cecelia. Cecelia seems happier at the thought of her children.

"Well, if it's another boy, we would like to name him Davis. If it's a girl, I really don't know, maybe something like Drusilla." I hope it's a girl because I prefer that name a lot more. Plus, she already has two boys.

"You two want anything?" She asks both of us. We both shake our heads and Johanna walks out to the door.

"Hey, !" She motions to the Peacekeeper to come over. I know most of the peacekeepers back home but I have no idea what their names are here. I try but we get new ones every year. We also get new Avoxes because they don't want us developing relationships with them.

"I need an apple juice and a class of water. I would get it myself, but I can't leave." The Peacekeeper nods and walks off down the hallway.

She jumps over a chair and she kind of trips over her shoelace. She recovers and sits on top of the table closest to the door.

"Real smooth." She laughs and the Peacekeeper comes back, this time delivering the drinks personally. Johanna gets up and gives the water to Cecelia.

"Come on, drink, you need to stay hydrated." Cecelia thanks her and more mentors walk into the room: Haymitch, Enobaria, Mags.

"You do have a heart!" I tell Johanna and she pretends to laugh.

"Oh, joy, look who's joined the party." Johanna isn't really fond of Enobaria and she expresses it openly. I think she think that Enobaria is the closest a citizen could get to Capitol status and she hates the Capitol. She says that openly too. I realize Johanna has very little secrets, if any.

"I'm not afraid to kill you." Enobaria tells Johanna. She goes to sit at the front of the room, where all the Career mentors sit.

"Me, you." That's how a feud is restarted. As everyone trickles in, most conversation ceases. Today is the big day that the Capitol people see our tributes all prettied up. It's a big deal. Somehow a thumb wrestling competition breaks out. I am very thankful for my many competitions with Noah and Daniel. I win, thanks to my strong thumbs from years of practice. I make a mental note to thank Noah and Daniel when I get home.

The peacekeeper comes back in.

"You may now see your prepped tributes." I think that Annie is going to look great!

**Please review! The next couple of chapter is training and then I'm going to start the 70****th**** Hunger Games. If you read the Johanna stories, the same events happen in both, so they tie together. **

**Remember, that button lets you review, and in doing that you make my day!**

**~MiKayla**


	9. Chapter 9

**This is extremely rushed…warning!**

"Just remember, when you go in there, you have two options: show your skills or don't." I have to coach Annie and Kayne before they go into the training room.

"Consequences?" Annie asks.

"If you show your skills, more people will want to be your ally or you could be seen as a threat. If you don't you could surprise people with your high scores." They both nod. I wave as they get in the elevator to go down to the training room. The doors close and I realize I only have a few more days with them.

I go back to my room, which I'm not supposed to be in. No one stops me on the way. I sit down on the bed, with my hands on my knees and realize I'm in a serious predicament. I don't know who to tell. My family is back at home, Johanna wouldn't understand anything. I decide on my "grandmother." I go find Mags.

I knock on the door to her room and she lets me in.

"What's the trouble?" She asks. I've always been told my face lets no lies through, that my expressions are clearly read.

"Annie, I like Annie. But I like, like her. And she's going off to her death." I can't sit down so I and I finally stand still when she gets ready to speak, which seems like forever.

"You need to tell…" I need to tell her. I've always heard the saying, "there are always more fish in the sea," but never used to describe this situation. Normally, it is heard when we are struggling to catch fish.

"What if it messes up the arena?" She shakes her head.

"That won't happen because of three words."

"Thanks, Mags." I leave and make my way downstairs to the holding cell, as Johanna has recently renamed it. I open the door and step in to find I am one of the last people here.

"Ah, look who's here! Mr. Party Person Odair!" Johanna exclaims. She is the back of the room like always but she comes up to the front to lead me to the back.

"Have you ever thought of being like Cecelia?" I ask Johanna. I doubt she has.

"You mean, married with kids? No, no way, not ever, not even before the terror that is the Hunger Games." I got the exact response I thought I would. Johanna is different. Her family is poorer than ours is and her district is too. She looks at me like she knows something that I don't.

"But I think you do." She says; quiet enough for no one else to hear but loud enough so I can hear.

"How'd you know?" I ask, because I cannot be that easy to read.

"I'm smart like that." Seriously, that's all you're going to give me here? She laughs.

"Come on, that question didn't just come out of the blue. Plus, it's all over your face." She says as she sweeps her hand in a circular motion.

"Just don't ask me any relationship questions or anything because I will not, and I repeat, I will not, help you. Not because I'm mean but because I don't think that you would anyway." That is true, that I wouldn't talk to her.

The rest of the day passes by quite uneventfully except I teach Johanna how to draw a fish and she teaches me how to draw a tree. We are allowed to leave when our tributes do and I am one of the last ones to be dismissed. I walk out of the room and meet my tributes in the elevator like everyone does.

"How'd it go?" I ask. Kayne fills me up with all kinds of stories about how terrible he was at many of the stations and how he was good at others. Annie just tells me that she didn't do anything too flashy, but just stuck mainly to the survival skills. I wish she wouldn't have because I think she needs more weapons training. I will address that at dinner.

The doors of the elevator open and I let Kayne walk out first. He runs to the dining hall while Annie and I hang back.

"Annie, I need to tell you something. Over the past few days, I have really gotten to know you. And before you leave, I want you to know, I like you… more than a friend. But, I mean you're still my friend." She just stares at the floor, trying to hold back a laugh.

"I kinda messed up the end, didn't I?" She nods.

"Well, I am happy to hear that because I like you too and you can still be my friend." I feel like a huge weight as just been lifted off my shoulders. We head down to the dining hall, not really talking.

"Oh, I told the chefs to make more seafood, so the selection should be better today." I open the door and let her in first. We head to the table and I can tell she is pleased with the selection of fish. Today, we have shrimp which is a cheap food from home that we are accustomed to eating.

"So, Finnick, any requests for the last day of training and the scoring tomorrow?" Tabia asks.

"For both of you, get on more weapon stations unless you are sure you can handle at least one weapon very well. Even though survival skills are sometimes the difference between winning and losing, the gamemakers can only judge you on weaponry." They both nod and I can tell that both will do very well in the scoring.

The next morning, we wake up and they go to the training and then scoring. We sit down that night to see the scores. Our tributes will be one of the first ones because we are 4.

Most of the Careers are getting 8-10s. Annie gets a 10 and Kayne gets an 8. I assure them that these are great scores and that once the audience sees them in their interviews; I will have many sponsors lining up for a chance to bid on them.

Since they are being trained separately, I will be taking one at a time as will Tabia. I get Annie first and Kayne second. Annie walks into the dining hall where I am waiting. She sits next to me at the dining table.

"What do want your angle to be?" I ask Annie. I hope she has the same idea I do. She shrugs.

"I was thinking very nice, sweet and very wanting to go home, not because of winning but see your family." I think that she likes that idea and we continue with training I ask her questions and she answers them truthfully. I tell her to keep her image in mind and she will do fine.

"I'm scared to go up there and too show who I am." I take her hand and look at her right in the eyes.

"You will do awesome." Then our time is up and Kayne comes in. I have no idea how to play him. He wants to be a huge scary person but that doesn't fit him. I break the news to him lightly and we decide that he should be who he really is. I feel really bad for Claudius Templesmith, who has to bring out the good in him. I can't do it in his answers and I'm his mentor. The day of the interviews approaches, quickly, more quickly than I would prefer.

They do good at interviews but in no way are they stand outs.

"Good luck, Kayne."

"See you soon, Finnick."

"Good luck, Annie." Annie stays quiet for a moment then kisses me on the check.

"In case I never see you again." She goes into her room quietly and shuts the door.

The next day is the Games. I see them being raised up into the arena. Then, time slows down.

**I know this chapter was rushed because I just wanted to get them into the arena. I didn't want to break it up but this is just one, long chapter. **

**~MiKayla**


	10. Chapter 10

"Happy Hunger Games, Mr. Finnick!" Johanna is on the way upstairs with me. I have no idea why she always calls me Mr. It's kind of strange. I'm only two years older than her.

"You too, Johanna." She gives me a look and slaps me on the arm.

"Why are you so depressive right now?" She looks at me a little harder. She squints up her face, and then she gets the same smile she always does when she knows a secret.

"You are worried about Annie!" I sigh and nod. Johanna is the greatest person reader of all time. She hates people, but she can tell you what they are thinking. We get out of the elevator and walk down the hallway into the control room. Johanna jumps onto her swivel chair, the chair she claimed the year after she won.

She starts spinning and it is driving me nuts because I'm trying to watch the television but all I can see is her spinning out of the corner of my eye. I grab the back of her chair.

"Sorry." She whispers and sits up as straight as she can.

"Aren't you worried?"

"Yeah, of course, but I wait until after the bloodbath to get excited." Johanna might only have been a mentor for two years but she is a brilliant mentor. She doesn't care about anything until the very end of the bloodbath. Then, and only then, you know that your tribute is a contender to win.

I hear the countdown and I am begging for a shot of Annie. Finally, it comes. Then, the tributes are released from their plates and everyone goes off running. The shape of the arena is very pretty, with rolling hills and green grass. Annie teams up with the Careers, like I thought she would. Then, the blood starts falling.

Johanna is also back to spinning.

When the bloodbath is finally over, all of the Careers make it out. However, 11 tributes don't, including Johanna's girl tribute. I look over at her to see how she is reacting.

"Well, I got one fighter this year." She shrugs and we head over to get our tablets. I never want mine to go blank. These tablets are given to all the mentors when your tribute makes it out of the bloodbath alive. You can send gifts, see kill status, and see how many people are sponsoring your tribute. When one of your tributes dies, the screen goes blank for them. If both go blank, you return your tablet to the drop off box in the back of the room.

My tablet is fully alive and glowing. I eagerly find the results of the bloodbath, seeing that Annie killed more than Kayne. They are both alive, but Annie has more sponsors. One of the best parts of the tablet is that you can see what the analysts are saying about your tribute. Bets are placed based off of three pieces of information: the score they got in training, how attractive they were in the interviews, and what the analysts say. You want the analysts on your side.

Kayne isn't going very well with the analysts but Annie is doing very well, they even have her in the final four. In my mind, she is the final one.

The Careers split up the supplies like they always do and Annie ends up with a pack of knives, food, and a backpack with some more supplies that they don't air. Kayne gets the very minimum of what they think they will need. I actually feel kind of bad for him because no one thinks he will last long.

"Don't sweat it Finnick. You and I both know where victors come from." Johanna tells me as she does something to her tablet.

"No, I don't know where victors come from." I tell her because Johanna and I are so unlike the way we play the Games.

"Oh, well I guess it would be the Districts. I was hoping you would find encouragement in that, not confusion. Oh well, eraser please!" Johanna is the funniest person. She has no idea how to comfort people. She tries sometimes, with fail.

We get back to watching the games, which are pretty uneventful. They always are the rest of the day after the bloodbath. It mainly consists of the tributes making alliances, getting food, and setting up camp. No one really goes out to hunt.

I hate how that word is used. Hunt should be for animals, to get food. Hunting should not be killing other children. I move myself away from that topic because I need to focus on getting Annie out.

The leader of the pack of Careers is from District 2 and his name is Agro. The other Careers are Whiz and Sparkle from District 1, Agro and Elizabeta from District 2, and of course, Annie and Kayne from District 4. Plus, they added in the girl from District 11 named Liwa, who is very pretty but also very strong. I have no idea why she is so strong being from a poorer district, but I remind myself to never prejudice against the poorer districts. I am not a Career.

Then, the long lists of deaths come, all eleven of them: District 3 boy, both from District 5, the girl from 6, the girl from 7, both from 9, the boy from 11, and both from 12. Haymitch doesn't care and I don't care for Haymitch. The reason none of his tributes survive is because he is always drunk.

I remember when Johanna first tried to get beer. I wouldn't let her the entire time while we were together in the Capitol. Then, I requested to President Snow, that in order for me to still provide my "service" that he would have to hire a doctor for Johanna. It happened and she never drinks.

That night, the Careers go hunting. They found a few pairs of night vision glasses, three to be exact. Agro, Elizabeta, and Annie get the glasses. Kayne, Sparkle, and Liwa stay behind and Whiz comes with them to hunt.

The first clue to the target is the idiot that makes a fire. You never make a fire! It's like saying, hey everyone who wants to kill me, come get me! It's annoying.

They argue for a while on their walk about who should kill him. Somehow, they settle upon Annie. As soon as they say this, my stomach starts to butterfly. I have no idea if she can kill real people. She seems way too nice. Turns out, I was wrong.

She takes her knife, and throws it into his chest. He doesn't die immediately, but blood is spilling out of him. If they leave him there, he will either die because of blood loss or he will get a package with medicine to heal him. Agro gets out his spear and stabs him again. This time, the cannon fires.

They walk away from the death of the boy. Annie is high fived. I now realize that she is a fighter, that she is accepted into the Career group.

Annie will do anything to get out. But every person is not without weakness.


	11. Chapter 11

Annie's weaknesses are showing, faster than I would prefer them to. The worst is her reaction to the gore, the blood. She flinches every time she kills someone. Then, she won't do anything for as much as a day. She just sits and eats with the rest of the group. She mumbles words that aren't picked up by the cameras.

The process repeats until the day that the final 8 is revealed. It consists of Whiz, Sparkle, Agro, Elizabeta, Annie, Kayne, Liwa, and the boy from district 7, named Dale. An announcement comes for the tributes just when the Careers are settling down for dinner. There will be a feast.

Feasts worry me. People die at these feasts, mainly the people that missed the bloodbath. By this point in the games, the tributes are willing to do anything for the things they need to get out alive. You can practically smell home at this point. The pain of possibly never returning home is worst feeling you will ever feel.

The feast will be the next day at the river, unlike the Cornucopia like normal. That means that everyone has found the lake by now and they must still be close. I pull up the map on my tablet. It shows where everyone is at in the arena, plus an outline of major water bodies, mountains, and caves.

Seven little dots are right where Annie is sitting and Dale is close, in a cave nearby the river. Tomorrow is the big day. Tomorrow is the feast.

The feast begins with a bang.

Dale is the only no show, but that doesn't mean that bloodshed doesn't occur in the arena. When the door of the Cornucopia opens, the entire area breaks loose.

First, everyone runs toward their bags. Each one of them has their own bag, providing them with something that they will need to help them survive. As a mentor, I have no idea what could be in any of the bags. The bags are provided by the gamemakers. One time, all of the bags contained nothing. It was just a lure to get them to fight.

The Careers turn on Liwa, letting her run right into the Cornucopia, coming out proudly with her bag. However, everyone circles the door making sure she doesn't get any farther alive.

Liwa digs in her bag and pulls out something dangerous, something that none of them can directly fight: a poisonous dart gun. The only person that has something to defend the bullets is Kayne because he got a shield. The Careers didn't give him any weapons, only the shield so he could at least keep the numbers on their side.

"Kayne, cover us!" Agro screams Kayne. Kayne fumbles around trying to open the shield. It is in a little pack thing, that he can't figure out how to open. He doesn't open it in time and a poison dart sinks into Whiz's head. He crumbles down to the ground, having spasms all over the place. Annie kneels down and finishes him off, so he didn't have to go through the rest of the pain. This time, Annie doesn't freak out as much. Even though, her kill number goes up because she is the one that stopped him from living. She is the one that makes sure that Whiz doesn't go home to his family.

In the craziness of Whiz's death, Liwa sneaks away into the nearby forest.

"Stupid! You let her go!" Agro screams. He storms over to Kayne, pulls out his sword, and I can already tell what he is planning. I start Johanna's spinning thing so I don't see what happens next. Agro's sword slices off Kayne's head in one swift motion.

I see the tablet dim and Annie is the only tribute I have left.

Annie almost looks like she is about to start crying because of his death. I remember back on the train, when she said Kayne was like her brother. It would be freaky to see that happen while you were in the arena.

"Well, he isn't the only one dying today." She takes her spear and throws it right through Agro's chest. He topples over and Elizabeta turns back to Annie. I think that Elizabeta has always liked Agro, or at least felt that she should keep him alive. They helped each other way too much for that to be fake.

"Well, better make that three." I am so nervous at that point. Annie has to react fast before Elizabeta kills her. Careers don't miss.

Annie takes off toward the forest, making various twists and turns. Of course, Elizabeta runs behind her, chasing her, until Annie gets to the very edge of the forest, right next to the same cave that Dale is in. Annie runs into the cave, which is lit by a dim fire, throwing shadows off the walls.

Elizabeta's footsteps go right by the cave, not even briefly stopping. Annie has gotten away this time.

Annie gets out her knife and throws it, almost lifelessly, at Dale. The cannon fires as I turn to look at Johanna.

"No hard feelings?" I ask Johanna. I don't want her to hold a grudge. Johanna can hold a grudge.

"Nah, they aren't us, you didn't kill me so we are good." We shake hands on it and the feast is over. The total death count is four: Whiz, Kayne, Agro, and Dale.

Meaning, we have our final four: Sparkle, Elizabeta, Liwa, and my personal favorite, Annie.


	12. Chapter 12

This is getting bad very quickly. I know that it is going to get a lot worse before it gets better. This time Annie is affected so bad, that I have no idea if she is going to live. Not because someone is going to kill her, but from starvation.

Right now, it is the third day that Annie has done nothing. She hasn't been on camera but once a day, to show that she is still alive. She just sits in the cave, staring at the rock walls of the cave. Somehow, Sparkle died. I think that Liwa killed her.

It is getting close to the end of the day. I do the same thing that I have done every day since the feast. I find the button that will send a package of rolls and cheese to Annie. I push the button. A few moments later, a silver package floats outside of the cave. Annie reaches to the basket and pulls it inside with her.

"Thank you." She whispers. She eats a roll and some of the cheese before wrapping the rest up to save for the morning. The anthem sounds and no one's face appears in the sky tonight. Not even Annie's.

At this point, I am worried about Annie. She can't just sit there and let everyone kill each other. Someone will come after her eventually.

The next day goes by without any deaths. When it comes time to send Annie food, I don't. It is the hardest thing I have ever done outside of the arena. I remind myself that it is for her own good. She needs to do something, get out of the cave. See the light, remind herself that she can and will win the games.

Annie waits in the cave for about an hour. Then, she realizes that food isn't coming. Annie isn't stupid. She gets her pack of knifes, takes a deep breath, and walks out of the cave and into the sunlight.

I have no idea if she knows how to hunt or gather berries. I didn't when I was in her position. I start scolding myself for not sending food. I remind myself that Annie is getting camera time right now and that sponsors will want her. Annie has many misses with nearby squirrels. She walks pasts all the bushes of berries. I don't know if she doesn't see them or if she doesn't want to take the chance of them being poisonous. She hits her first squirrel and manages to skin it and take it back to the cave.

She tries to make a fire, without success. I decide to use the money that would've been used for food to send matches. They float down and Annie strikes a fire, blazing the same way on the night she found Dale. She stops everything she is doing, probably remembering that day. The day that Kayne died, the day that Agro died, the day that Dale died.

I put my head in my hands because all hope is lost now. So close, so close. I take deep breaths, trying to hold back the tears. Someone will find her fire and kill her. I prepare myself for the cannon that will surely come. Waiting is unbearable so I sit back up and take a look at the screen. No one has found her yet. I turn to look at Johanna but she is nowhere to be found.

"Where did Johanna go?" I ask Mags. She shrugs and I ask Cecelia, who also has no idea. I sit back down and hope that Johanna isn't getting herself into trouble.

She comes back in a few minutes later and starts typing really fast on her tablet. Even though both tributes are dead, she can still do other stuff with her tablet.

"What are you doing?" I ask her.

"Shhh." She keeps typing until she finishes. My tablet beeps and she reaches across to pick it up before I can.

"Are you doing anything that I should be concerned about?" I ask her. She shakes her head and hands my tablet back.

"Look." She tells me. I look up at the screen to see a silver parachute fly down to Annie. She wakes up from her dreams to grab the package. It is a canteen of water, made of leather and filled to the top. On the back are the words "Wars of the Sea" engraved in the leather. Annie traces the letters, one by one, with her finger. It is the same engraving that is on my bracelet. It is going to remind her of home, of me.

Her face shows that something has changed in her. She seems more confident, braver. She finishes cooking the squirrel. It is the first time she has had meat since the feast. She eats half of the squirrel, leaving the rest for the morning.

I put the pieces together in my head. I didn't send it and neither did Mags. The only other person who touched my tablet the entire day was Johanna.

"It was you. How did you do it?" I ask Johanna. She smirks.

"I gave some guys money to bet on Annie. They did and I used your tablet to send it. Didn't think you'd mind, you still have the same amount of sponsor money. Remember, if you tell anyone about this, you'll regret it."

"Thank you."

"Welcome." Johanna has just saved Annie's life. In a way, she has also saved mine because I know that I would never be the same Finnick if Annie didn't get out of that arena alive.

Johanna has done a lot of very mean things in the past but this makes up for all of them. Johanna really is my friend and I don't know if I can say that about anyone else in the Capital.

No deaths on that day either. The Gamemakers are probably getting bored. The highlight of the day was watching Annie hunt. The worst part is that all of the tributes are in different parts of the arena. That means the Gamemakers are going to have to start killing people off themselves. They might release mutts or some weird natural event to happen.

The scary thing is that it doesn't matter how hard you train you will never be able to feel confident going against a Gamemaker made threat.

The night passes by without any strange animals or events happening. That means that they are saving the action until morning.

The next morning, Annie goes out to hunt again. She has barely caught anything before you can hear something approaching. I wince in fear of what it might be. It rises above Annie's head. She gives a moment thought into her next action.

She starts swimming. A huge tidal wave is sweeping over the arena, destroying anything in its path. At this point, it is a matter of who can swim the farthest and the longest. Elizabeta and Annie are the only ones swimming. Liwa just stood there, motionless when the wave swept over her.

I have no idea how long it will take for them to drain the arena. They couldn't do it with the tributes still in the arena. I have a feeling that it is going to end with someone not making it to shore. The winner is going to be today. I cling onto the chair, my hands pressed hard against the arms of the chair. I try to breathe.

Annie and Elizabeta are both getting out of breath. The distance is long but they are close. The only place that isn't flooded is the Cornucopia. A huge wave sweeps through and Annie swims faster. She can now see the gold glint of the Cornucopia. Elizabeta is lagging behind, caught up in the wave.

Annie grabs hold of the tail of the Cornucopia and gives everything she has into pulling herself up onto the top of the Cornucopia. She stands on top, watching the waves.

Elizabeta's body floats to the top of the waves, motionless. She must have sunk during a wave. Annie watches her float as the cannon sounds.

"Congratulations to the winner of the 70th Hunger Games, Annie Cresta of District 4!" Claudius Templesmith yells over the arena. I can hear the cheers of the people in the Capital. The aircraft floats over Annie and she grabs the ladder and pulls herself up.

"See you in 6 months, Finnick." Johanna says. I wave in reply. For the first time, I go the opposite way as she does. This time I am being loaded onto the aircraft to see the victor. The victor from my District. The victor that is Annie Cresta. It feels so good to think that.


	13. Chapter 13

"You're not allowed in there right now." The officer tells me. I am standing outside of Annie's hospital room, ready to see her. I even bought some flowers. She has been in her hospital room for 2 days and I still haven't been allowed to see her. I might have to buy new flowers.

"Can I? Please?" I beg him. She isn't awake right now but she isn't in surgery. She looks skinner but everyone is that way once they win. She will gain it back in a few months, when she has all the money to buy every food she wants.

"Sorry, Odair. As much as I would love to let you in, I can't." I sigh and turn around to leave.

"Sure?" I ask him one last time. He looks down the hallway both ways, three times. He twists the door handle.

"Fine. Get in there!" He ushers me in quickly.

"Five minutes." He whispers after me. He shuts the door and acts like nothing happened. Annie is still out. I put the flowers on the bedside table next to her. Then, I grab her hand, pleased that this is reality. I am not dreaming.

It seems like only five seconds have gone by before the officer opens the door again. He waves his hand at me. I brush a few strands of hair off of Annie's forehead and kiss her on the cheek. I head back to my room on the helicopter. Soon, Annie will watch the Games, all the way through. She will watch every death that occurred, the ones that she killed, and Kayne.

She isn't going to handle that well. She could barely watch it the first time and I am sure that she has been playing it over in her head at least a million times. It took me years to stop replaying them constantly. They still come, less frequently, but they still come. I hate them. I hate what the Capital has put me through. No matter how hard I try, I will never be truly relieved of them.

I find myself at my room. I open the door to find a meeting going on. In my room.

"Um, hi? Am I in the wrong room?" I am seriously really confused. I step back out and look at the sign by the door. It doesn't say that this room is anything else. I walk back in and take a closer look at the meeting. It is a group of six people. I only know Mags; the rest looked like doctors from the Capitol.

"No, you are not in the wrong room. We need to talk to you about Annie." I head over to the table and sit down. I look around the table nervously. What could they want?

"Is Annie doing okay?" One of the doctors asked.

"Um, I don't know. I haven't spoken to her yet." I am not completely lying. I haven't spoken to her but I have seen her. She looks okay on the outside.

"We think she might have a mental condition. She doesn't talk to anyone, just stares into open space. She won't even talk to us. Do you have any ideas about why this is happening?" I have never heard anything about this. I haven't seen her awake because guards always chase me off or the shades are closed. It has to do with the games. The last time I talked to her, she was perfectly fine. The times she shut down where when she killed someone or Kayne died. She is reliving those moments.

"She is reliving the moments in her mind. The people that she killed and Kayne's death. It happened in the Games, too." I can't believe the doctors haven't figured that out yet. Look at the facts people!

"Ah, that makes sense. Well, we have some issues because of that. We don't know if she will be able to go on the Victory Tour or in near events, the interviews after the Games." What are they going to do? No one, no one, has ever not been on the interviews.

"So?" I ask them. I need to know what is going to happen to her.

"You are going to go with her. You seem to be the only thing that brings her out, we think. We are putting you in training with her. The next few days, you are going to stay with her 24/7." This is going to be so strange. Translating for Annie? I can't process the thought. It is going to be like redoing my own interviews. I am happy I don't have to do that again.

I stay with Annie every day, all day. We eat our meals together. I don't get a lot of words out of her, with the doctors staring over us all day. The things that she does say are very random and strange. I am nervous for her to face all of the cameras and people gathering to watch her. I am nervous about myself, being the first mentor to still "mentor" a tribute past their victory.

I figure out the ways that she talks. It turns out that most of what she says is very smart. You have to process it. She doesn't speak directly to you, kind of off topic but still very relevant to the current world. She seems to take things in after they have passed.

The day of the interviews, our stylist gets both of us dressed in the same matching outfits. We are standing backstage when Claudius Templesmith comes up to me.

"You're going to do great out there. I know that you can represent her amazingly!" He cheers me up. I must not look like that helped so he pats me on the back.

"If she's anything like you, the crowd is going to love her. If she isn't like you, well, they are still going to love her because she is a winner. She is their winner." He heads off to talk to Tabia. I go off to find Annie. She is standing in a corner; no people are standing close to her.

"You ready to go on screen?" I ask her.

"Yeah, sure, Kayne." Kayne. Why would she think I'm Kayne? Then I realize that we look alike, in our outfit. The stylist dressed Kayne and Annie to match so Annie and I looking alike must make her believe I am Kayne. That's bad. I look up at the clock above the stage door: 5 minutes. I think I have enough time if I make a run for it.

I take off down the hallway and into my room. I take off the white dress shirt and blue suit jacket. I grab one of my t-shirts that Annie is used to seeing me in, the faded ones with images of the ocean and palm trees. I wash the hair gel out of my hair. Then, I take off back down the hallway. I get back just as the clock is hitting 30 seconds.

"Oh, hey Finnick. Is Kayne coming back?" Annie asks me.

"No, Annie, he isn't. I don't think you'll see him again." She looks at me with a confused expression. Just as she opens her mouth to speak, the clock hits 0.

Everyone turns to look at us as we push open the door to the stage. The last thing I see is the stylist getting very, very angry.


	14. Chapter 14

"Hello everyone and meet your victor, aided by the help of her mentor, Annie Cresta!" Caesar Templesmith pumps up the crowd. They all go crazy, cheering and clapping.

"Wave." I whisper to Annie. She waves her hand to the crowd and they clap even harder. We sit down on the velvet couch that they color to match Caesar's hair and skin color. This year, it is a purple couch. I sit the farthest away from Caesar, making sure that the crowd focuses on Annie. I am just a detail in the plan.

"Annie, great to see you! You want to say anything to the crowd before we begin?" Caesar has also been trained on how to deal with Annie. It won't be too hard for him because he is all about bringing out the best in people.

"Thank you. I hope that you will like what I am about to say after what I did." The audience seems confused at this statement. Personally, I am too.

"Yes, thank you for sponsoring her and she hopes you will continue to support her." I fill in. The audience seems fulfilled so Caesar motions to the cameraman to start the tape. We don't watch all of the Games, mainly just Annie's moves to her victory.

We start with the Bloodbath. The cameras are always going crazy trying to catch all of the footage. Annie doesn't freak out during this section, except when some blood is sprayed on the camera. She cringes at that, along with the audience and me.

Then, we get into her first kill. She puts her hands to her eyes after she makes the first impact. The audience sees her do this but they just brush it off. People have had worse responses to the way they treated people in the arena, especially the torturous ones.

Her other kills have the same response. Then, everything goes downhill at the feast. At Kayne's death, she totally freaks out. She starts staring blankly into the audience, at no one in particular. That causes me to freak out. The doctors told me that she might react like that but no one told me how freaky it is to witness in person.

At first, I thought she was dead. The only thing that reassured me was the sound of her breathing. I calm myself down because two freaked out people here would do us a lot more harm than one. The rest of the feast goes by without her making a movement. The little box at the bottom of the screen, that used to show her reaction, now shows the audience's.

Then, the glow of her first fire must wake her up into reality. At the same time, she gets the empty glare out of her eyes. She recognizes the fire and the squirrel sitting next to it. On screen the package floats down and she grabs it. As she watches herself trace the letters, she looks down at my ankle. The pants have shrunken up when I sat down and you can see the bracelet with the same wording.

The audience must realize it too, because a bunch of "ahhh"s come from the crowd. The next thing that she reacts to is the waves creating the winner. I can see her feet kicking underneath the couch, just like when you swim. She watches herself pull herself up to the Cornucopia and Elizabeta's body float to the top of the water.

The video stops playing and all focus shifts back up to Annie. The anthem plays as Annie rises as President Snow walks across the stage followed by a little boy carrying a cushion that holds Annie's crown. He fake-smiles as he places the crown on Annie's head. I have never seen him really, truly smile. I don't know if I would want her.

She gags at his scent after he leaves. I understand completely, his smell is nasty. I am just happy that the cameras weren't on us. The crowd cheers even more. Annie waves to the crowd and Caesar says good night to the cameras.

We are ushered out the door to the sound of chanting from the audience. Immediately, I am swept aside by some doctors and the stylist.

"How did it go?" They all ask me. Sometimes, I think Capitol people are brainless. They just sat behind the scenes and watched it all!

"It was fine. Annie only faded out one time and she even seemed to connect with the audience!" I try and talk her up as much as possible.

"Why did you change your clothes? All that time spent making you that outfit!" He complains. He rubs his hand against his forehead and sighs.

"Well, before the interview she thought I was Kayne." Then, they all start freaking out about how they were going to fix this, what their next step should be, and all kinds of other stuff that I can't make out above all the commotion. In the panic, I slip away from their discussion and head over to Annie, still wearing her crown.

I hug her first because it seems like she doesn't want to talk. We just walk around the room, stopping briefly because of people congratulating Annie. Soon, the party disassembles and the people all break off to go back home.

We get back on the train that will take us home. I leave Annie in her room but I can't stand being alone so I head back. I open the door to her room and find no one. I look across the hallway and into the windows of the room next door, Kayne's old room. I peek in and see Annie sitting in the desk chair, crying.

I don't go in. I just watch her for a while. Mags comes up behind me and pats me on the back.

"It happens to the best of us." She hands me a cup of hot chocolate. I end up falling asleep, my head against the windowsill and the empty cup tipped over on the carpet.


	15. Chapter 15

I wake up the next morning happy that I am back home. As I pack up my things, stopping every so often to look out the window, I make a list of the things that I am happy about. I am happy that I am back home, I am happy that it is my 18th birthday in two weeks and I will be of legal age, I am happy that Annie is here to celebrate it with me. Only one thing about coming back home concerns me: where are Annie and I at this point?

It is of tradition that the victor gets off the train first followed by the mentor. When we pull into the station, I hang back, checking under the beds and in the drawers to make sure that I leave nothing behind. I want to make sure that in case for some reason I am not on the train next year, I don't miss anything. The train driver signals me through the window that I can leave. I happily jump onto the platform of the train station. I watch the train pull away before I start my walk.

I head back home and this year, people actually wave to me and greet me as I pass. Normally, I am given evil glances because I failed to bring their children home. I walk all the way to Victor's Village, where I live with Mags and another girl, Lila who won a while ago. Lila won 10 years before I did, so she is 33 years old. She never helps assist us with mentoring. She gets drunk, a lot, more than I would prefer. I only met her once. I see the movers taking Annie's belongings into their new home. I walk inside of my home and shove the suitcase into the hallway.

My mom comes up and kisses me on the head. My dad pats me on the back. My sister stands off to the side, trying to act annoyed. It isn't working too well and you can tell she is proud. My mom is wearing her apron, meaning she has been baking. My dad must have taken off work today because he isn't wearing his normal work clothes.

"Can I go now? Not trying to be rude but…" I trail off and the end and Mom nods. Normally, they don't let me out until a few weeks after the games when the people have calmed down about losing two children. The first stop I make is Daniel's house. He is sitting on his porch like he always does. Come to think of it, I have never knocked on his door because he is always on the porch. He runs toward me when I come around the corner.

He isn't super rich like the victors or the mayor but isn't from the outside, where they fish for other people's boats.

"Dude, you are like the best thing ever! You brought home a girl and a pretty one too! Oh, my mom baked a pie, you know how she likes to bake pies." We head into his home which always smells like pie. Daniel wasn't kidding when he said his mom liked to bake pies. Every time I come over here, she always has something for me. I am thankful that Daniel sits outside because if he didn't I would be obese.

"Hey, hey, I have dibs!" We laugh and make our way into the kitchen, a place I like to be. His mom is very happy and made me three pies. We take the trays of pie over to Noah's house, where we keep talking about Annie and if I was going out with her or not. We come to the decision that I still am but I should keep it on the safe side in case I'm not.

When we find Noah, he isn't at his home like normal. He is standing outside of the now closed candy shop. He turns around at our shadows, blocking the sunlight.

"What am I going to do? Now they are rich and the store is closed. Real nice!" As much as I know he is kidding, I can tell he is kind of upset that the store is closed.

"Would a pie make up for it?" I hold out one of the pies.

"Yes, yes it would." He takes it from my hands and sits on the windowsill.

"You know, if you are that depressive about it being closed, just reopen it. You are 18 now." Daniel tells him as he passes out the forks.

"I should. I am. As long as my dad will let me. Speaking of 18, you having a party this year, Finnick?" I really don't know if I am. I probably will, considering that people like me this year and I am now officially an adult.

"Sure. Why not?" We dig into the pies. A group of girls walk by, actually waving at me instead of giving me grimacing looks for "killing" their friend.

"Dude, you realize that this is your comeback. You can have any girl you want!" Daniel tells me. This is big coming from Daniel; Noah is usually the one telling me how to get a girlfriend.

"First, you really should stop starting every sentence with dude. Second, I already have a perfectly good girlfriend." We laugh mainly because Daniel really does start every sentence with dude. He sounds like a surfer.

Noah looks at the huge clock in the middle of the town square: 6:00.

"Dude, sorry, I'm sounding like Daniel now, but seriously I have to go, my dad is going to kill me!" He runs off, making a quick stop at the trash can. Daniel leaves too, because he has to buy some fish before heading home. I make my way back into Victor's Village. Annie's outside of her house.

Her house is directly across the street of mine. I change directions and walk over to her house. She is sitting on the porch swing, the wind gently rocking her back and forth. I sit next to her. We swing back and forth for a while, until the sun is almost going to set.

"Tomorrow, you want to come on the crabbing boat?" She says nothing. I lean over and kiss her on the cheek.

"I'm going to take that as a yes."

**Please review! This chapter might not be the best, it is mainly a filler. Plus, I love writing about Daniel and Noah. It is so weird how much I love minor characters. **


	16. Chapter 16

I guess you could say that this was my first official date with Annie. I've dated other girls before, not as much as Noah (no way that would ever happen) but for this one I feel more nervous than ever before.

I try and look nice, kind of like the way I dress for the reaping. I tone down the dress shirt and replace it with one of my surfer tees. I pick the green one with a palm tree. I only have one dress shirt and I think that is in the wash. I don't know.

I walk into my sister's room because I need a mirror. I'm a boy and I don't have a mirror in my room. She, being annoying, only lets me in for a minute. I use the minute to the maximum, making sure my hair is parted the right way, before she ushers me out.

Then, I walk into the kitchen and start rummaging around in the cupboards. I can't find the picnic basket! I start running around frantically, looking in some strange places that I know it would never be. I run into the laundry room, the mud room, and the sitting room. I check under pillows and in the washing machine. Nowhere. I am making my way upstairs when my sister is walking the opposite way down the steps. In her hands, is the picnic basket.

"Thank you so much! You're a miracle worker!" I take the basket from her hands and make it out of the door before she can even thank me. That is assuming she thanks me.

I jog into town, slower than at home, until I make it to the deli.

"Hey, Marcie." I pant as I place the basket on top of the glass counter. Marcie is a woman in her middle 30s, and she is the butcher. It isn't normally a woman's job but her husband died in a boat crash off shore a few months ago.

"Hey, slow down kid. What do you need?" I stop to catch my breath before I start speaking again.

"Just give me some Swiss and ham and that fancy bread that looks like a sword." She divides everything up into portions and wraps them in the fancy paper. I put them in the basket.

"You got something special going on today?" She asks as she rings me up at the cash register.

"I got a date." She hands me the receipt and I hand her the money. I don't mind telling Marcie because she is pretty much family to us. I am a teenage boy, I love this shop!

"Mmm…" She hands me back my change. I run out the door and into town because the butcher shop is on the outside.

I make a quick stop at the fruit stand and then the flower stand. I buy a pineapple and a primrose for Annie. Then, I walk over to the shore, away from the boat docks. I sit and watch the waves until Annie finally comes down the beach. My stomach butterflies when I see her. She sits next to me as I separate the food for each of us.

We don't really talk for a while. Actually, we don't talk the entire time. I enjoy her presence and I feel happier than normal. We watch the boats pull in and the sunset starts falling over the sky. Annie turns toward me.

"A boat."

"What about the boats?"

"I want to go on one." I hesitate for a moment about what to do next.

"Sure. Tomorrow, meet me here at 5 o'clock." She nods.

"See you then."

"You too Annie."

The next day:

I see Annie coming down the side of the beach. I told my dad that I was going on the boat today. He has the day off because of some kind of meeting at the mayor's house. Noah normally stays with me on that day but I told him to go visit Daniel. They are really making plans to reopen the candy store.

I am wearing what I always wear when I go on the boat: my khaki shorts, a t-shirt, and a button down shirt that isn't all the way buttoned up. Annie has pretty much the same thing on. Her hair is blowing with the breeze and she looks really pretty today.

"Hey!" I wave to her and she walks onto the dock. She waves back at me.

"This is my dad's crabbing boat. He isn't at work today, so these are just a bunch of his workers." She nods and puts her hand up to her face to shield the sun. The gangplank lowers onto the dock and I hold her hand as we make our way up.

I walk straight to the boss of the sailors, Ryan. Ryan is standing at the mast of the boat, trying to find a decent place that crabs might be. They choose their locations very carefully.

"Ryan, this is Annie. Annie, this is Ryan. She is going to be on board with us today." I explain to Ryan. I don't want anything to happen like the last time. Noah came on board and I forgot to tell Ryan, and Ryan almost made Noah scrub the entire deck. It was a good thing I was there to explain. He nods and I start my tour of the boat.

I show her all the different crabbing tools. We are making our way into my dad's office when the boat lurches forward. We start sailing across the water. Annie runs over to the side, watching the boat cut across the water. The first time I was on a boat, I was enchanted by the way the boat swam along the waters.

I put my arm around her and we watch the boat. I want to live in that moment forever. Until, everything goes wild and in the commotion, I hear a shout.


	17. Chapter 17

My first thought is that Annie fell overboard. Luckily, she is still at my side. When I say she is at my side, she is sitting on the ground, curled up in a ball, and her hands are pressed over her ears. At least she isn't in the water. I need to figure out what is going on and we need to figure it out fast. I tell one of my favorite sailors to take care of Annie while I go figure out what is happening. He agrees and I take off to find Ryan.

On my way, nothing terrible is happening, or so I think. I find Ryan, also in a panic, by the staircase to the bottom level.

"What is going on?" I demand. He points to the door, his face in fear of what is coming. I open it and I am greeted by flames. The boat is on fire. The heat burns my face and I slam the door shut. Ryan isn't going to do anything, I can tell by the expression on his face. It is all up to me now.

I take around 30 seconds to devise a plan, a terrible plan that I don't even know if it will work. Before I can second guess myself, I am climbing up the mast of the boat. I try and think of it as climbing a palm tree. I have done that all the time and I have climbed some trees in the arena. I don't look down but push myself upwards until I get to the top, where they have a little stand where the lookout is. He isn't here right now.

I cup my hands around my mouth and hope that I don't have to talk for a while. This is going to take all of it away.

"PLEASE EXIT THE SHIP IN AN ORDERDLY MANNER! WE HAVE LIFEBOATS AND LIFEJACKETS SO YOU WILL LIVE PAST TODAY! HOWEVER, YOUR SCREAMING DOES NOT HELP SO STOP IT! ORDERLY MANNER, PEOPLE!" I repeat my message 3 times. I turn around and see half the boat covered in flames. It is probably a good time to leave the boat now, that everyone is off.

I climb down the mast and start making my way to the lifejackets. I open the chest when my attention is directed to something else. A scream, a human scream, the scream of a girl, the scream of the only girl on board today: Annie. I start running back where I came from, hoping the fire didn't take her over.

The flames are hotter and hotter against my face. They are spreading faster now. No one is coming to help; they have already gone home, jobless. I keep running, pushing myself through. The screams have stopped and I can't help but think that Annie is dead. I won't live either if I don't know if she is alive or not. I can feel my skin burning and when I touch my arm, some skin is peeling off, like when you get sunburn. This is like a sunburn times 15, though.

The last place not totally consumed in fire is my dad's office.

I push open the door and find Annie, huddled in the corner of the office. The windows show flames and the door is the only way not totally consumed. I pick her up and put her on my back. Then, I remember what my dad told me. If the boat was ever to go down, I needed file folder number 32. I scramble through the file cabinet and pluck out 32.

I push open the door and the fire is right with us as I run. I keep running and I feel myself getting weaker and weaker. I try and breathe but it doesn't work too well. I turn around and look at everything ablaze, the office, the box of lifejackets, the mast where I was just standing.

I jump off the side and into the water. The water is cold and amazing after the heat of the boat. I have to keep swimming to shore. I swim and enjoy every second of it.

I pull myself up on the sandbar, file a little wet because I hid it under my jacket. I keep it there. I can hear people screaming, coming towards us. The group is led by Daniel and they all have towels and food and emergency medicines. I try and keep my eyes off the boat but I can't.

When the emergency group finally arrives, they carry Annie and me off the beach. The last thing I see before I black out is the boat going up in flames and sinking into the water.

I blink, once, twice before images appear that make sense to me. My mother and my father are here, standing over me. My mother puts her hands to her mouth in gratefulness that I was alive. I am in the hospital, lying on a bed. A doctor is standing in the corner.

"Can I speak to you, dad? Alone?" My mom is brushing away tears as she nods and steps into the hallway. The doctor follows her and leads her away, probably to look at some test results.

"The boat. What happened?" I demand. For someone barely alive, I feel quite well.

"We really don't know. It had to be arson, nothing else could've caused the fire to break out. The boat is gone now and I really don't know what we are going to do. I don't want to sugar coat it but simply, we don't have jobs now." Not having a job has never been a concern for us. My mother isn't employed and my dad's side of the family has had that boat in the family for years. The Odairs are famous for their crabs. Sure, there are other crabbers but we have had the reign.

"I'm almost 18. I can work now, I'll find a job."

"No, Finnick. You are away half the year with mentoring tributes. This needs to be full time." I open my mouth to protest but he puts his finger up to his lips.

"Don't worry, something good will happen. It always does." He leaves and shuts the door behind him. The doctor comes back in, smiling.

"Well, Finnick, you should be ready to go home now. Just put this on your upper arm once a week for five weeks and the burn should leave." She hands me a bottle of ointment. I thank her and get out of bed.

My legs feel funny from not walking for so long. On my way out, I check the calendar. Just 3 short days until my birthday. The mood doesn't feel so cheery.

I push open the hospital doors, to find rain. It rains every so often here and it is okay. I trudge my way home, empty minded. I wonder what happened to Annie, what happened to the file folder, and what will happen to my newly jobless family.

**Well, everything just got a lot more interesting! Please review! The more you review, the faster the next chapter will be out!**


	18. Chapter 18

The first thing I do the next morning is set out to find a job. I sneak out earlier than my Dad does and run down to Daniel's house. I enter the same way I always do when he isn't outside: up a tree and through a window. I land safely inside of his bedroom.

Daniel has an older sister who doesn't live at home anymore. He has a huge room and he doesn't have anything to fill it. It looks sad and makes everything he does have seem smaller. I nudge him awake.

"You do realize that we are on summer break and you are waking me up at 6 in the morning?" He says as he gets up out of bed.

"Yeah, but we have work to do!" I sit on the desk chair as he brushes his teeth.

"Does this have anything to do with the fire?" It doesn't sound that clear because he has a toothbrush in his mouth.

"I would be lying if I told you it wasn't." He walks out of his connecting bathroom and throws on a shirt and sweatshirt. He sleeps in his jeans.

"Well, we better get started before we get held up by pies." We take the back exit, aka the tree, and make our way into town. I love walking through town as it wakes up. It doesn't happen much but when I get to watch the shopkeepers turn their signs from closed to open, is amazing.

"Game plan?"

"None." We make our way along the main strip of shops. The bakery, no, the restaurant, no, the cleaners, no.

"You do realize that you can get a job where ever you want?" Daniel asks me.

"Yeah, but I need to find one that fits me. I can't work in a shop." We stop and sit on the rim of the fountain of Neptune, who I recently found out is the Roman god of the sea.

"You can work at the cleaners." I nod but I seriously don't see that happening anytime soon. Daniel slaps me on the arm.

"What was that for?" I complain. I pretend to be in pain and he laughs at how terrible I am at acting.

"You need to lighten up. You'll get through this; after all you are Finnick Odair!" He stands on the rim.

"You seriously just need to ask any of these people for a job and they will give it to you." I push him into the fountain and we both end up laughing, just like before I was picked for the Games and my life was changed into something different and strange.

"I just hate people giving stuff to me. I want them to want me because I am good, not because I am famous!" Daniel ponders this for a moment.

"Seriously, I have no idea what you are looking for. You make encouraging very hard." He squeezes the water out of his shirt and back into the fountain.

We get up and keeping walking along the road. I wish that I knew something besides fishing. My jobs there are limited. I would have to work under someone because I can't afford my own boat. I could always open my own shop but that is risky. I still want to be with the water. I snap my fingers as I idea pops in my head.

"What?" Daniel asks.

"I have a plan for how I am going to make money."

"Which is going to happen how?"

"I need a boat. And you are going to help me."

"If you need money, I am not going to give it you."

"Don't be stupid! I am going to walk around with a cart filled with candy that you make and sell it to people." He nods but I still don't think he sees where I am going.

"It's going to be a candy store on wheels." His face lights up and he nods like normal.

"Well, then, I suggest we get cooking." We run to the other side of town and Daniel opens the door with his key. The store isn't open yet but they are busy making candy and fixing up the place.

The Crestas left the little glass containers to fill up with candy on the wall and the counter top. Half the wall has been painted red and chair sit folded up in the corner. I follow Daniel into the back room, which looks like a huge kitchen. It has really big mixing bowls and shelves full of ingredients. He throws me an apron.

Then, we get cooking.

On today's list, we have to make chocolate covered pretzels and cotton candy. The chocolate is hard to mold and make perfect pretzel shapes. We have to make all the pretzels by hand. The cotton candy is easier. We just put a ton of water, sugar, corn syrup, and pink food coloring in a big windy machine. Then, I put a little paper tube inside the machine and it creates a perfect mound of cotton candy. It doesn't taste terrible either.

The next couple of days are used by making as much candy as possible. The crew comes in to put in new flooring. We have finished painting the walls bright red. The counter has been filled up with candy and the cash register with change. We set up a few tables in the store and a few more outside. We put up the umbrellas outside. It looks really good from the outside. We even renamed the store, Surf and Sweets. Only two more days before the store opens. That day I am working in the store but every other day, I will be on the beach with my cart. I can barely wait!

**This chapter was kind of a filler. More action will happen in the next chapter, promise! The more you review, the faster the next chapter will come out!**

**~MiKayla**


	19. Chapter 19

The first day of work goes okay. We decided to have a sale on the first day to bring people in. We sell lots of candy and the day goes by pretty fast. The next day is better. It is the first day I get my cart.

My cart was pretty cheaply made. It was made of an orange crate, some scrap wood, and wheels. I can push the cart around pretty easily too. I wake up at 6 in the morning to set up my cart. I choose my candy based off of what was bought the most yesterday: rock candy, chocolate covered coconut, and jelly beans. Then, I take off down the beach.

However, the day doesn't like me. First, the wheels on the cart are very squeaky. I'm pretty sure that every single fisher on the boats today had a headache.

Second, I don't sell anything but three things. I assure myself that this will get better. I look out to the boat and see all the boats far off at sea and then to the town where people are running throughout the town. Then, I look up and down the strip of beach. Around four kids are here on their lunch break at school.

My market is a bunch of kids with penny candy. This was probably not my smartest idea.

Third, it starts raining. Rain doesn't come around too often here. The air is normally pretty humid though. I don't have a raincoat and I don't own an umbrella. None of the boats are even close to the docks. I look up into the sky and see even bigger and darker clouds approach. I find a cave close by and pull my cart into the cave.

I crouch down on my knees and hold my arms out in front of me seeing how far the cave goes and what else is here. The cave stretches back pretty far but it isn't endless. It isn't skinny either. I turn back around, hugging the other wall this time.

I trip over something. The cave gets darker because of the clouds outside. I gather up some broken pieces of the cart and make a fire. The fire lights off the walls of the cave, just like where Annie lived in the games.

I find the thing that I tripped over and bring it to the fire. I don't really believe what I see at first. I am so astonished that I rub my eyes to make sure I'm not going insane. Good news is that I'm not insane. Bad thing is…

"Bones." I whisper as a crack of thunder booms so loud that I am sure no one heard me. I flip them over in my hands. I examine the walls for any notes that anyone could've left.

I dig a hole and bury the bones. I can't let anyone see until I've figured out whose bones these are. I crawl back to the opening of the cave and open the canister of rock candy. I pull out a blue one and lean back against the wall. I stare out of the cave and suck on the candy, trying to erase the images from my mind.

When it finally stops raining, the cart won't move. I do the obvious thing to do: kick it. I finally get it into town and take it to the dump. Nothing could salvage the remains of the pineapple cart. I pull out the jars of candy and balance them to the candy store.

Daniel pushes the door open for me.

"Where's the cart?" Daniel asks as I dump the candy on a table.

"Dump. We seriously need better equipment." Noah tucks the candy underneath the counter.

"How did you sell?" Noah asks. I grab the four dollars I made and put them in Noah's outstretched hand.

"Four dollars?" Noah asks in astonishment.

"My entire market is a group of children with penny candy and not much of it." Noah puts the money in the cash register.

"Well, we have been doing okay with the sale going on. You are always free to work in the shop if you want. Did you see the rain?" He examines me up and down as I nod.

"How in the world did you not get soaking wet?" Noah asks.

"Oh, you know. Took refuge in a cave." Noah walks over and flips the sign from open to closed.

"You guys ready to go home?" Daniel asks. We make a quick trip to the kitchen and hang up our aprons. We walk out as a group and the bell above the door rings.

As we walk home, I keep the subject on my upcoming birthday in three days. They ask me all about the party and who is coming. As much as I would love to be thinking about my party, my thoughts focus on the bones and my job. I don't believe that I should work at the candy store anymore. It just isn't a good fit for me. But, where else would I turn?

I push open the door to my house and trudge up the stairs to my room. I crash on the bed and find myself falling asleep from all the nerves about my life.

**This chapter was shorter than the rest but I didn't want to include too much because this chapter is so important! Make sure you check out the new movie trailer that was released on Yahoo, because it is soooo amazing. Thanks for reading and please review!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Make sure you read the entire chapter all the way to the bottom!**

The next morning, I am threatened by the bones. I don't know who I could tell or if they would believe me. Daniel and Noah are my friends, Annie is in terrible condition, and my parents would go to the government or tell me not to worry about it. It is too late to not worry about it!

My options only leave me with one person. I really don't know what is going to happen so I pull out my suitcase and pack up my things. I drag the suitcase down the stairs, which is difficult because it keeps banging on the stairs. I can't decide if I should pull it faster because it will be over sooner or slower so the noise isn't so sudden. The point is, I am trying to sneak out.

I grab a piece of paper and a pen from the drawer and write a note on the fridge.

"Dear parents. I am spending the night at Daniel's house. I promise I won't eat too many pies. You shouldn't call them because their phone is broken. See you tomorrow before dinner! ~Finnick." Then, I drag my suitcase out of the house and down the front stairs. Instead of turning out of Victor's Village, I turn farther into the village.

I open the door of Mags' house. Mags doesn't care about people coming in randomly. She is an old victor lady and no one would bother to hurt her. I put my suitcase in the front closet and take off my shoes. Then, I make my way upstairs. Her bedroom has been turned into a hospital room.

Mags isn't in the best condition. She sleeps most of the day and when she is awake, she has brain problems because of what happened in her games. I feel bad for her. I open the door gently and try to keep it from squeaking. I step inside quietly and take a seat beside her bed.

I wait for her to wake up which doesn't take long. She is like a hawk when someone enters her room. She is immediately wakes up in their presence.

"Good morning." She says. I smile and for the first time, I have no idea how to say what I am about to say.

"Hello, Mags."

"I know you aren't just here for chit chat. What's up?" Mags know me so well, almost like a grandmother.

"Do you know anything about deaths by the seashore? Or maybe some bones?" Mags eyes open wide and grabs my arm. Her fingernails dig into my skin.

"Something bad happened. Go to the Capit… go. I can't…" She stutters the words out like we are sharing a huge secret, maybe we are. She falls into a sleep and the nurses that live with her rush in, shooing me away.

I run back down the stairs and grab my suitcase. I make my way to the beach and climb back in the cave.

I trace my path along the same wall. I dig up the hole to find the bones. I stuff them in my suitcase and make my way back to the train station. I sit on one of the benches waiting for the train to come. It's not like a lot of trains come by anyway. The Capitol train comes around once a week, picking up any victors, the mayor, and once a year, tributes. It just happened to be the day the train came around.

It seems like hours before the train approaches. I duck inside the train making sure no one sees me. I shove my suitcase in the overhead compartment and take a seat in the empty train car. The ride to the Capitol doesn't take very long considering the speed of the trains and the distance between District 4 and the Capitol.

I think I end up falling asleep. All I know is that I wake up in the Capitol. I grab my suitcase out of the overhead compartment and run out of the door of the train. I look around the train station, trying not to laugh because this year's colors are even crazier than last year. I bustle out of that place.

I make my way down the busy streets of the Capitol. All of the victors have an apartment towards the outside of the Capitol. Each one is marked with our names once we become a victor. I walk inside and into the elevator. I hit the button marked 4. Every district has a different floor, ending at 12.

I get off at my floor and make my way down the hallway. I think I am the only one here right now from my district. I find the door with my name on it and put in my ID card. The door unlocks and I walk in.

This room is the same from every person: a bathroom, a bed, closet, television, a desk, and a mini kitchen. It is like a miniature home. I can't help but think that some people in the districts can't even afford all of this but yet the victors only use these rooms once or twice their entire lives. We are only allowed to be here when we are visiting, not when we are mentoring. We have to stay with the tributes and when they die, we still have to live on that floor in that building.

I shove my suitcase in the closet and head to the bathroom to take my shower. I take a shower and dry off. Then, I go over to the desk to make some notes. I pull out a pen and a notepad. I sit on the bed, with the television humming in the background. I make a long list of notes all about everything I need to do. I turn to the next page to find it already used.

"Go home. This isn't your mystery to solve." I read off the paper. I reread it again and I know that this hasn't been there forever. Someone else has to know, besides Mags, that I found the bones. That means that someone was watching me. That is the creepiest thing I have ever thought.

**Are you ready for some big news? Okay, so I am going to be having a little contest. Here are the rules:**

**You must review on at least one of the next three chapters (20, 21, or 22). You can review on all three and it will increase your chances. You can have up to three entries per username. All reviews must be somewhat helpful (you can just say "so good! Or awesome!)**

**The contest will stop three days after chapter 22 is posted so you have time to review. I will then pick the winner randomly. **

**You will win 3 things having to do with this story: a. the name of a very important upcoming character b. another job for someone in the story c. the name of a boat**

**That is really all you have to do! It is so easy so just make sure you review every chapter so you can get all three chances to win. **

**Thanks and good luck!**


	21. Chapter 21

My entire plan has been fooled by a piece of paper. I walk out onto the balcony that overlooks the city. I wonder who my stalker is. It has to be the same person that burnt the boat. I go back inside and leave the hotel. I make my way down the alleys of the Capitol, trying to make sure no one notices me.

I sneak into the back of the shoe store. Greta, the lady who owns the store, is one of the smartest people I know, not to mention she isn't a freak around me like some people. I wait for her to come in the back. It takes forever.

Me, being me, I get up and start walking around. I open shoe boxes to find some very strange looking shoes that must be uncomfortable. How do people wear these things? I walk down the aisles, looking at various shoes.

One shoebox catches my eye. It is blue – green. I pull it out of its spot on the shelf.

"Victors' shoes. Get all of the designs inspired by your victors!" As I scan the box, I find a picture of me holding a trident. The picture is so edited it is funny. I open up the box and find a pair of really ugly blue shoes with tridents as heels. I pick one up and then dig through the box to find the other one.

I go through a ton of paper and cardboard until I find the other shoe. Right beneath it is a piece of paper. I figure that is probably just the price but for some reason, I pick it up anyway. I unfold the paper to find another note written in the same handwriting.

"Congrats on buying your very first pair of Victors' Shoes! Make sure you check out all of the other cool styles!" It goes on to show images of various shoes, from Johanna's brown boots, Enobaria's shiny heels with spikes on them, and Beetee's flats made entirely out of wire. I repackage the box and put it back on the shelf.

Then, my brain puts the pieces together. Whoever wrote the shoe ad must be the same person who wrote the note in the hotel who must have burnt the boat. I think I've found my possible stalker.

I take off down the rows of shoes and push through the door. I find myself back in the alley. I run all the way back to the hotel, not even stopping to take a breath. By the time I am back in my hotel room, I am out of breath and panting. I know it couldn't be Greta. It has to be one of the suppliers.

In the Capitol, the items made aren't delivered directly to the shopkeepers. They go through a processing plant, which in some cases is also a store. There is only one processor for every item made.

I pull out the phone book and look under the processor for shoes. The name is Glory Peter. Glory has been known for his tricks. But Glory himself would never leave the Capitol. I've met him and he is snobby beyond belief and untrustworthy. That means he must have hired someone to stalk me. He would've only hired someone who he trusts.

I decide to use a really stupid service called Facepage, to figure out who he could trust. Rich people make a profile and post what they are doing and pictures of themselves doing it. It is pretty much a place to brag about how awesome your life is.

I call the front desk and ask them for usage of some type of computer. A few moments later, it is delievered via the little tube thing in my room. I open it up and go to Facepage. I start figuring out how to work the site. I find a creepy fan page called I love Finnick Odair. I could've lived my entire life without seeing that.

I finally get to the page of Glory Peter. I scroll down to the information about his family. The only person listed is his sister: Aero. I think I've found my stalker.

I sit for a few moments trying to decide how I'm going to make sure it is her and what my next move is. I decide that is obviously her. I click on her page. Sure enough, one of her recent locations was District 4. Ha.

I scroll down her list of recent posts. One of her shopping brags was fake bones. Who brags about that? It calms me that the bones were fake, at least someone didn't die. It still bothers me that they were in the cave. Where they put there as a scare tactic for me? For someone else?

I decide that my work in the Capitol is done. All my answers now lie at home. I delete all of the history and ship the computer back to the front desk. I pull my bag out of the closet. I try to get to sleep, without success. Finally, morning comes.

I run downtown to the train station.

"Hello. I need a train to D4." I tell the man at the front desk.

"K. It's gonna be about 10 minutes." He tells me. I take a seat. Trains can be requested to go from the Capitol anytime but to the Capitol once a week. I sit awkwardly, flipping through magazines. Another lady walks in wearing my shoes.

The train comes and I get on. The train speeds faster than should be legal to District 4. It spits me off at the station and I head home.

"Hey, sweetie, how was Daniel's?" Mom asks me. Oh yeah, I have to make up some story.

"Awesome. I managed to get away with only one pie." She laughs. Daniel's mom and she were best friends growing up. They were also friends with another girl, who died in the Games. It seems like everyone knows somebody that went into the Games. It would be terrible to watch your friend go through it. I am just happy I never had to mentor Daniel or Noah. We would never get anything done.

"Well, here we have some bad news. Your sister…" She starts. Please don't say she's dead!

**Once again, this chapter applies to the contest explained in Chapter 20. I have decided to extend the contest all the way through Chapter 24. This way, Chapter 25 can be special (I just feel like 25 is a cooler chapter to win than 24!) Anyway, remember to review because that is your entry! For official rules, make sure to read Chapter 20.**


	22. Chapter 22

"Your sister signed up for tesserae." My mother says. At least she isn't dead.

"Why? We have money!" I argue. Tesserae is for the poor people, in poor districts, not a Career district.

"She figured that she needs to do whatever she can. She isn't old enough to have a job." She tells me. This is probably the first time that a victor's family has signed up for tesserae. It is all the stupid Capitol's fault.

"Well, don't let her sign up for more! I'm going to get our boat back!" She puts her hand on my shoulder.

"Even if she does get picked, we all know how good you will do mentoring." Mentoring my own sister would be terrible. If I was filled with guilt and dread when I didn't know the tribute, it would be around ten gazillion times more.

"Well, maybe I won't mentor next year." I say as I stomp up the stairs. Signing up for tesserae is horrible. Why would she do that? Does she have a brain in her head?

When I get up to my room, the phone starts ringing. Nobody else would call me except the Capitol.

"What?" I answer.

"I see you were in the Capitol. Sad you left so soon." President Snow says. His voice sounds like a snake crawling out of the phone and into my ear. I hold the phone a little farther away.

"Well, I got everything I needed." I tell him.

"Don't be so smart with me boy. Talk to the Crestas and then decide if you really want to argue with me." The phone goes dead. I hate that guy. I wonder what the Crestas know. They couldn't be my stalker, or could they?

I climb out the window and walk over to the Crestas' home. I knock on the door and Annie's mom ushers me in.

"Annie is with the doctor. Do you want to come back?" She asks. The house smells of lemons and everything is very prim.

"Oh, no. I was actually here to talk to you." I explain. She looks at me with a confused expression.

"Oh, okay then. Just take a seat in the office. I'll be right there." She walks down the hallway and I open the door to the office. Inside is just a simple desk with a chair behind it and two chairs in front. I sit down and a few moments later, Annie's mom is back in with a glass of lemonade.

"Fresh, just squeezed it this morning. Ah, I forgot, my name is Maria." She says as she puts the glass down in front of me, making sure a coaster is underneath.

"Now, what do you need?" She says as she walks to the other side of the desk.

"Well, I was talking to President Snow. You see, I found some bones in a cave earlier this week and he told me you knew something about them." I explain. She looks at me with a worried expression, like I know something I shouldn't.

"Never mention that again. I can't believe you found them. Let me explain. When Annie was reaped, her older brother, wanted to do anything to bring her back home. He got in touch with the Capitol and promised them that he would do anything in order to assure her safe return. The Capitol agreed but said that they would try their best to make sure she had sponsors. When the Games started, they told him to burn down your dad's boat one night. Well, he didn't. In order to punish him, they locked him up in that cave. The bones were sent to him with a note that said that they were Annie's and that she had died. He drove himself mad and he died of hunger." She said as she wiped away tears.

"Does Annie know?" I ask.

"Of course not. We just told her that he was away, doing important things for the Capitol and that he wouldn't be returning. It's best not to harm her any more, considering her condition." I try to understand everything Maria tells me but my brain is incapable.

"Thank you. I can't tell you that I won't take action because that is wrong." I get up to leave but she grabs my arm and pulls me back.

"Don't. Every action causes a chain reaction." She lets me go and I run all the way home. I climb up into my room. I am so utterly bothered by the events that have occurred in the past few days. I decide to call the Capitol anyway. I pick up the phone and dial 1, the direct number for Snow's office.

"How could you do that?" I fume. I can almost see him smirking.

"That is called crime and punishment." He says.

"Dude, you even had somebody stalk me so you could make sure I figured out what was happening! That is messed up!"

"Well, what is your solution?" He asks.

"Um, throw Aero Peter in jail for stalking, and stop driving people insane!"

"Well maybe, you wish you could take back those words because Aero is certainly not going to jail for serving her country."

"I don't even considering taking back what I said!" I slam the phone back down on the charger.

I get out my notebook and just scribble all over the pages. I hate him. I hate Aero. I hate myself for figuring out what is going on.

I control myself again. What is the most pressing matter? I decide to fall asleep and let the idea rest in my dreams.

The next morning, I wake up fairly early. I head downstairs and make breakfast for my family. When no one comes down for work and school, I head upstairs to check on them. My parents aren't in their bedroom but they are gathered around my sister's bed.

It looks like my sister won't be available to get tesserae this year after all.

She won't be alive long enough to experience the reaping.

**I felt terrible writing this chapter! Ugh! Anyway, the contest is still going on so review!**


	23. Chapter 23

I duck out of the room before my parents notice. I know she didn't die in her sleep. I walk in my room and pick up the phone.

"Why did you do that?" I ask President Snow.

"You are getting a bit, um, cocky. I need to keep you on track. You can't be dating Annie! You're dating that girl in the Capitol, remember?" He says.

"What girl?" I ask. That was probably the wrong question.

"You know, Ami. That one that hired you to go with the prom with her in two months." He explains. I have never even met an Ami.

"No, just no! I'm not doing that and you can't force me!"

"I can force you to do whatever I want." The phone clicks off. Then, I walk into the door of Flora's old bedroom. My mom turns around to face me, her tears streaked with tears. She rushes over to me and hugs me. I hug her back because I know she needs it.

She tries mumbling out some words but she fails and just ends up crying even more. My dad is stroking Flora's hair like he used to do when she was little. I pick up her hairbrush that she never let me use. I'm going to miss our fights.

I walk over to her body, lying on the bed motionless. I wonder if the neighbors know. My dad looks up.

"Go to the school and tell the teachers. Then, go over to the cemetery and tell whoever's there to make preparations for tonight. The sooner, the better." He says.

I leave and I am happy to be free. I can't believe they really did that. I still have parents; Johanna doesn't even have that. When I reach the school, I am hounded by girls that I have to fight off to get to the front office.

"Oh, hello, Finnick. How can I help you?" The lady at the front office says. She still looks exactly the same, her hair pulled up in a tight bun and an ugly sweater.

"Flora won't be at school again. You see, she um, well, isn't exactly alive enough." She looks up at me in horror.

"Oh!" She pushes the gate into the waiting area where I stand and hugs me.

"Capitol?" She whispers. I slightly nod. She goes back to her work.

"I will inform the students and teachers." When I walked outside, all of Flora's friends came with me. As I walked through town, groups of people walked behind me, following me all the way to the cemetery. I stopped by the office and ordered the most elaborate plan.

When someone dies in 4, we criminate the body and pick 8 hosts to throw the ashes into the sea. Because everything begins and ends with the water, as we are taught in schools. When the man hands me the sheet, I have no idea what eight hosts to choose.

I first write down my parents and me. Five names to go. We don't have any living relatives, so that makes it very hard. I write down her two best friends. I decide to write down Daniel because I think my sister liked him. I think some more and the man is getting impatient.

I write Johanna because Flora always wanted to meet her. It is in best respects to have someone from the Capitol join us, so I choose Tabia. At least she isn't as insane as some other people. I hand the paper back to the man. As I leave, he picks up the phone and starts talking to someone about what the plans.

I have attended many funerals. When a tribute dies, I am normally picked because I was their mentor. It is rare for someone to cross borders unless they are going to the Games. This is a special occasion and is allowed under strict security. I have even seen the winner of the Game come to one of the funerals of a tribute.

I head back home and I can barely decide what to do with myself before the doorbell starts ringing. There is a line of people, stretching all the way across the street, holding out gifts, starting with the baker.

I stand at the door as people hand me their gifts and some are even crying. I can't help but break down myself at points. I fill up the hallway with gifts of food, clothing, and various household items. When the last person hands me a candle, I shut the door and fall to the floor. I look down the hallway and it seems like the line never ends.

I get up and start putting things away, in the kitchen, in the laundry room, and in the living room. It helps distract me from what is going on in my life. When I reach the end of the line, I feel sad because I have nothing to do.

I decide to take the change of leaving the house because I have no idea who will start weeping around my feet. I head to the train station and sit on one of the benches, letting my mind wander. I think I fall asleep because before I know it, Johanna is sitting beside me.

"You know what's crazy; you even have that cocky smile in your sleep." Johanna says. She is so serious.

"Now I suggest you stop sleeping because you have to get dressed." She looks down at my ripped jeans and jacket.

"I'm pretty sure you should wear a suit." She gets up, pulling her suitcase behind her. I stay there for a while after she leaves. I finally head home and put on a suit. Then, I head outside and wait for everyone else to come outside to start the procession.

The procession finally gathers, with the hosts at the front. We all head down the street to the cemetery, which is really just a gray building that has a desk and very low employed man inside. My mother goes inside to get the gray clay pot with Flora's ashes inside. On the outside are flowers and pineapples, the sign for a girl that died before her marriage.

Then, we take our pot down to the beach. A little area has been drawn off for us. We stand inside, in the order of our names listed. As I look down the line, I see my father holding himself together. I see my mother, crying her eyes out. Then, there is me. Her two friends look lost without her, and one of them is crying. Daniel looks depressive. Johanna looks like my dad. Of course, Tabia is dressed in an insane outfit, keeping her large smile in a thin line.

The pot is passed down between each of us. I take a handful and walk to the edge of the shore. I throw it out into the waves and wash the little black pieces float away. I watch all the others follow. When we are done, we are at the back of the procession as the people lead us back to our house.

Everyone parts their ways and I head inside my house with my parents. My mother places the pot on top of the fireplace. Then, we sit on the couch, really having nothing to do. I feel like I am living without purpose. The Capitol has taken everything from me and I won't let them take anymore.

I wander outside and down to the curb. I sit on the edge and I see Johanna coming across the street.

"Why do they do this to us?" I ask her. She has been going through the same things.

"It is a test, a way to make sure that no one falls out of line. You know the best way to get over it?" She says. I shake my head.

"To show them, that no matter how much they take from you, you are still the same Finnick that I met in the control room. The one that makes everyone laugh and fills a room with light when he walks in. No matter what they take from you, you just have to stare them in the eyes and take it like a man." Her words echo within me.

"Or I could hide from them." She looks at me like I just said the stupidest thing in the world.

"Or you could mentor next year and fight back and win." I know that she doesn't just mean winning the games but winning the fight that has been going in with me and the Capitol for five years.

"I better get back. They are going to have the Peacekeepers on me in like a minute." She runs back across the street and her silhouette fades away, into the house. I go back inside.

That year of the 71st Hunger Games, I am the first mentor to bring home victors in back to back years.

**This chapter does count as a part of the contest! I love this chapter so much and I really hope you like it.**


	24. Chapter 24

My victory doesn't make my life totally normal. When I arrived at the Capitol, Snow promised that no one would come after me anymore. As long as I didn't cause any more trouble. When I explained to him that trouble found me, he had me escorted out, which I was happy with because that smell almost made me pass out on the floor.

I got back home with another victor, a boy named Wen Hales, who was eighteen. He was pretty strong and won by killing people with a spear. He won't go down in people's memories though.

I decide to straighten out my life on step at a time. This year, I will fix my relationship with Annie. The next year, the job situation. The year after that, I will fix my relationship with the Capitol, for better or worse.

I head over to Annie's house. They have painted it yellow and pink so it looks just like a little candy house. I invite myself in and their house still smells like lemonade. Annie comes down the stairs in a blue sundress.

"Hi." I say. She waves back.

"You want to do anything today?" I ask her. She shrugs. I'm going to take that as a no. I sit next to her on the steps and we just stay there for a while. Her brothers run across the hallway, stomping and shouting. Annie clamps her hands over her ears, like she does when she doesn't like something.

Annie has around five brothers, four alive. I don't know them all that well because they are all younger than me. I wonder what life was like for Annie, her being the oldest of five brothers, and suddenly being drawn into the games. Flora was so young then; and I still have trouble some days believing that she isn't with us anymore.

We just sit there for a while until her mom comes in.

"Hey, sweetie." She says as she hugs Annie. She presses an orange into each of our hands.

"Eat; it's good for you." She leaves, wiping her hands on her apron. Soon, I hear the click of the oven turning on. We peel the oranges and eat.

It goes on like that for a while. Every day, I go over to her house. I have been in rain or shine. I don't have to worry about snow because that doesn't happen. Sometimes, I bring flowers or pineapple to go with the orange.

Around the summertime, we start going down to the beach with our oranges. It feels like we are walking in a painting, hand in hand, the waves crashing onto shore. We never stay long because of her fear of the boats. I also make sure never to go on a day that it could rain. I never want to go into that cave again. It has gotten me into a lot of trouble.

One day, as we walk along the beach, Annie looks at me with the most serious expression.

"When I was in the Games, did you get me out alive?" She asks me. I can answer this in so many ways.

"Not just me. You had to stay alive long enough for me to let you, I had to help you, and Johanna took over during some parts." I tell her. She ponders this for a moment.

"Why did you get me out?"

"I got you out because I loved you." I tell her.

"Didn't you like Kayne, too?" Oh, Kayne.

"Only one person can stay alive. It's the rules." I explain to her. Her face shows multiple emotions and I don't know where she is going with this.

"Finnick, don't pretend that you have never broken a rule in your life. I can see that you have in your eyes." She leans towards me and whispers in my ear.

"Rules are meant for breaking." Then, she runs off back towards home. I run with her and grab her in my arms. We stay there for a while, just watching the boats. When the boats come in to dock, we walk home, hand in hand.

The Victory Tour comes along and I have to leave. I know that the year is getting shorter and my time with Annie. I only have until the reaping.

When fall comes, Annie is almost back. We normally now sit on the porch; watching the common people go by. It is quiet most of the time. She seems more alive and I like it.

I look at the calendar hanging inside Annie's house. Tomorrow is the reaping. I only have today to make my move. Ugh, I sound a lot like Noah now. It doesn't happen that day. I go home sadly and I know that tomorrow, there will be no chickening out.

When I head over, I can hear the shouts of children in the streets. Unlike what I told my mom, I signed up to mentor this year. I don't know who else I am mentoring with but I think Wen might do it, considering it is his first year.

I watch as families head toward the bakery, tugging along their children in fancy clothing. Most people don't make breakfast that morning because they are too nervous and want to give their child the best to eat in case they are picked.

In four, trainers are available. I didn't use one. The custom for volunteering is that if someone that looks strong enough or old enough to win is reaped, no one should volunteer. That is why no one volunteered for me; people believed in me. I wish I knew that then.

I head over to her house, where Annie is shutting the door behind her. All victors must be present, even if they are not going to be mentoring.

"Good morning." She says as she walks down the stairs of her home, to the sidewalk.

"Good morning!" I say. When she gets down to the sidewalk, I kiss her on the lips before I can stop myself. When we withdraw, she smiles.

"We better get to the reaping." I say, taking her hand in mine.

"Yeah. Do you know who else is mentoring?" I am about to say that I don't know until I realize she said who else. Which means that she must be mentoring. With me.

"I am." I tell her. We walk down to the reaping, and this time I am begging for her to bring home a victor. There is no better satisfaction.

**This is the last chapter that your reviews count as a chance to enter into the contest! I will be picking the winner randomly. If you win, I will message you so you can name some very important upcoming things. The next chapter will be up as soon as I get the answers. The deadline to review is the 17****th****. **

**Happy Valentine's Day! (I didn't mean to publish this lovey chapter today, it just happened!)**


	25. Chapter 25: Author's Note

Hi! So, the contest is now over and the system I was using to pick the winner messed something up and I have no idea what happened. So, I am now going to have one winner per question. So…

Name of a character in the story (boy/girl) – Account Currently On Hiatus

A Job other than candy store owner or fisherman – Coydog22

Name of a boat – Fishfreak222

If you won, you can personal message me with your answer or leave it as a comment. The next chapter will be up as soon as everyone gets their answers in. If you didn't win this time, I might be doing another one, based upon the success of this one! Thanks for reviewing!


	26. Chapter 26

**The contest is now over and we have our winners! Account Currently on Hiatus' answer will be in this chapter, Fishfreak222's in the next, and Coydog22's in the one after that. This is a new format that was requested. This isn't what I'm always going to write in but I might do it again if you like it. Please go vote on my profile because Johanna's story is almost over and I need a new character! Annie is one of the choices! Please review (I know you can!)**

Annie:

We get on the train, the same one that I was on when I was a tribute. It seems like only yesterday. Our two tributes this year are already on board. The doors slam behind me, causing me to jump.

Finnick grabs my hand. His touch comforts me. I really like him. We walk along the hallway, away from the tributes' room. Finnick opens a door to what is labeled "the Board Room." All that is there is a dry erase board and a table with three chairs around it.

"Welcome to the board room. This is where we have private meetings with Tabia, who is slightly insane. We aren't allowed in here much and the tributes shouldn't even know this exists." Finnick explains. I nod.

We take a seat when Tabia enters the room. She is insane from the way she looks. She is wearing a large pink skirt, a purple polka dotted shirt, and her hair is up in a beehive with light blue streaks running through it. Her shoes make her look so tall she could touch the ceiling.

"We have two very promising tributes this year!" She exclaims. She claps when she sits down.

"Rose, very cute. She can get sponsors just by looking at them. Plus, she could very well be a promising Career. Then, we have Xavier, big, strong. He won't need much work. Who wants who?" Tabia explains. Finnick lets me pick first.

"Um…Xavier." Xavier has a lot of power and easier to train. I should let the experienced one take the younger one.

"You sure?" Finnick asks. I nod, confidently. Tabia scribbles our answers on her paper.

"Good. I would go talk to them before dinner." Tabia packs up her portfolio of papers and leaves the room, just as quickly as she came in.

Finnick:

It is the big night: the interviews. I step in once the stylists are done working on Rose.

"Beautiful. Really good job!" I say. The stylists walk away, heads held high. I twirl my finger and she spins.

Her dress is a beautiful rose color. The top is white but it slowly gets dark until it ends with hot pink shoes. Her nails are painted with roses on them. Her hair is curled and tied with bows. She could very easily be passed off as a china doll.

In her face, I see the innocence of my sister. I see the dreaminess of Annie. I see the thoughtfulness of my mother. I see the free spirit I see in Tabia.

"How much longer?" She asks. She sits on her bed, swinging her legs.

"Oh, just a few more minutes. Anything else I can help you with?" I ask her. She waits a moment before asking a question that I really don't know how to answer.

"What do you want most?" She looks up at me and I can tell she isn't kidding. I pause for a moment.

"I want a boat. I love the water and everything it could bring to me. A boat could help get everything." I explain. She nods.

"I would want…" Tabia bangs open the door and it bounces off the door post.

"Sorry. C'mon, we have to go to the interviews. It's a very big day!" Tabia ushers Rosie out of the room. I swear the room got darker.

Annie:

"Very good." I say, approving what the stylists have done for Xavier. He is dressed in a grey suit, a pink tie, and a pink flower in his suit jacket. His hair has been gelled back. He looks very sharp.

"You got your angle down, right?" I make sure. He nods. I'm not really sure what to say, considering this is my first time. I don't know how to read his face. I look down at the clock.

"Almost time. You'll do great!" I try to encourage him. The silence is awkward. I shift my weight back and forth. He checks his hair a couple times. I am glad when Tabia comes in.

"Come on! If we are late again, I might just have to go back to District 7!" Xavier gets in line with Rosie. I come out of the room the same time Finnick does.

"You did well." I tell him, watching Rosie's dress flow around her.

"You too." I sure hope I did.

Finnick:

_Bam! _The cling of swords starts the Games.

"Remember the plan?" I ask Johanna. She nods. The plan is what will happen when Annie freaks out. I am going to give Johanna my tablet, while I leave with Annie to calm her down. Johanna just has to do whatever is needed. She has pretty good judgment; at least she did with Annie.

The first panic attack comes when the Careers are attacked by a group of tributes from 10 -12. I can't believe they teamed up in a way like the Careers. It is a battle to end all battles. Only a few come out alive. Three from the 10 – 12 pack and three from the Careers.

Sadly, Xavier isn't one of them. Annie goes black. I take her hand, sliding my tablet across the table at Johanna.

Johanna:

Welcome to the plan. Finnick slides me the tablet and the stupidest person in this room slapped his hand down on top of it:

Haymitch.

At least it wasn't Enobaria.

"Haymitch, can I have that back?" I ask, trying to be polite. He just holds it above his head, teasing me with it.

"You do realize that I am much taller than you." Politeness is gone. I stand up and grab the tablet from his hand. As I lean toward, him I smell the repugnant odor of alcohol. When I look back at him, he is snarling. He must be drunk. He tries to tackle me, but I dodge him and he lands smack on the ground. He doesn't get back up, he just lays there for a while moaning.

Enobaria, being Enobaria, starts dialing the Peacekeepers to come because I am picking a fight with Haymitch. She also says there is blood, which is invisible, because it doesn't exist.

"Shut up!" I wrench the phone from her hand and slam it down on the hook.

I stomp back over to the chair, stepping over Haymitch. However, I end up crushing his bottle of beer under my foot. Good for him. Now he won't get drunk again. Who am I kidding? A sober Haymitch?

I blow my bangs off my head. Idiots. All of them.

A Peacekeeper slams open the door.

"Johanna." The Peacekeeper yells at me.

"Fine. I won't do anything." I hold my hands up, as if I was surrendering to this guy. It's totally fake, considering I hate the Capitol and anything that has to do with it.

Finnick appears behind the Peacekeepers and I wave him away with my hand. He gets my message and goes back to wherever he was.

"Where are the District 4 mentors?" He demands. Snap! What am I going to say?

"Dude, even mentors have to use the toilet." I tell him. He shakes his head, and I can almost see him wishing he didn't ask the question.

He turns back into the hallway and our attention goes from my fight with the Peacekeeper to the television screens.

Finnick:

I walk back in, with Annie, calmed down and back in reality. I look on the floor at a drunk Haymitch, Enobaria practically ripping the fabric off her chair, and some puddle of liquid. Then, Johanna is sitting in her chair, with my tablet held high.

"What just happened?" I ask.


	27. Chapter 27

"Um, well, we were talking, about some controversial subjects, and some people, I don't know who, got a little overexcited." Johanna says. She lightly shoves Haymitch's body out of the way with her foot.

"Here's your tablet. Safe and sound." Johanna hands me the tablet again and we sit down.

"Are you sure that is all that happened?" I ask her. She can lie pretty well but that one was pretty weak.

"Maybe. Oh, look!" She says pointing at the screen. Nothing is going on. When I turn back around, she is gone.

When it comes down the final 3, I am pleased to say that Rosie is one of them. It would be a miracle to bring her home. She is the only one left in the former Career pack so she is going up against the 10-12 pack. Many of the Capitol residents were shocked by the outcome, as seeing many of them die in the bloodbath.

Today, I think the Gamemakers want a victor. First thing in the morning, they set off a fire, burning down the entire camp for the 10-12 tributes. Then, a pack of those birds that killed that one girl in the 50th Quarter Quell. They came flying over their camp and Rosie's chasing them to the Cornucopia. Once everyone is driven there, they seem to not be able to enter.

One of the girls from the 10-12 pack is having a panic attack. They made a good decision of choosing what mutts to bring in. They know what these birds do. They have been haunting their dreams since they killed Maysilee.

"Let's kill her now." One of them says. He looks scary, a big dark skinned kid. Even I wouldn't mess with him.

"Lydia, you do it. Prove to us that you are worth something." The other kid with them says. The old proving you are worth gets on my nerves. The girl raises her sword, hesitates for a moment, and slices into Rosie's stomach.

Rosie tumbles over, clutching her stomach. She falls to the ground and raises her hand, covered with blood, to her face. She touches her hand to her hair that falls in perfect curls even now.

Lydia turns to the group and cuts them too. They don't even see it coming. I look over at Johanna as Johanna herself realizes that Lydia is playing her game.

"Girl, if you win, I would suggest you don't mentor because I will hate you more than I hated Enobaria." Johanna threatens her. Johanna doesn't take lightly to people playing her game that she devised. She also hates people that don't kill anyone and manage to win. The year it was an artic zone, she used a lot of District 7's profanities.

Lydia, basking in her glory, takes one misstep. She backs out of the force field. Before she can realize what she has just done, a dozen of the pink birds are poking out her neck. Thankfully, the camera goes back to the force field as the cannon sounds.

"Kill me." The girl tells the boy. I realize they are both from 11 and they probably have some form of relationship.

"No, I won't let you leave knowing it was my purpose." He takes her hand. Now, it is a matter of who can stop the bleeding the fastest. I see 11's mentor send down a package. A few moments later, a silver parachute floats down from the sky. The girl unwraps it carefully.

"Bandage. You take it." She shoves the bandage toward the boy. He shoves it back, shaking his head.

"No. You." The boy tells her. She doesn't have time to protest before his hands are wrapping the bandage around her. He presses his lips against hers for the last time. He leans his head back against the tree. His cannon sounds.

Rosie looks over at the other girl. I don't think I have enough time to send a package and I think she realizes that I'm not going to. She strokes her golden curls.

"Thank you, mom, dad for raising me so well. Love you, forever and always. Thank you Finnick. I hope you get your boat one day. Thank you ocean. To you, I may return." And with her final words, the last cannon sounds. The girl from 11 is the winner.

I walk out of the room, not in anger. I need to make sure all the correct preparations are done for her. She was a nice kid and it was a shame she had to be killed. I head down the stairs and out the building, where a large group of cameramen are standing at the ready.

When I leave, dozens start taking pictures and trying to interview me. I walk straight past them because I don't really have time for them right now. I stop by the tile store and buy a bunch of pink rock to make Rosie's pot. I guess I should buy one for Xavier, so I pick a blacker stone.

I take them with me to the train, where I leave without a word to anyone else.

"You okay?" Annie asks, putting her hand on my shoulder.

"No. For some reason, I am more upset at Rosie's death than anyone else. I don't even understand why." I explain to her. She has no idea how it feels but it feels comfortable to have someone to talk to. Sometimes, you just need someone to hear you, not to console you.

"I believe you. It's been a hard year. Are you sure this is what you want to do?" She asks me.

"Annie, we have a message for you." The train driver tells us. Annie turns away from me and follows the train driver out.

When I get home, only one thing cheers me up. It is a boat floating on the dock. As I come up closer, I read the name that the Capitol has given this boat, the boat that the citizens worked so hard for Snow to buy for me.

"Fish Magnet." I whisper. I like the way it sounds. This boat couldn't have a better name and I love it.

**I soooo hated killing Rosie! The next chapter will up as soon as I get Coydog22's answer. I do have a few announcements:**

**If you have been following my other stories, you should know that The Life and Story of Johanna Mason, will be ending after 35 chapters (32 already published), 29,699 words, and I have been writing this story since early November 2012. I am so sad to finish this story because I can clearly read how my writing has changed. **

**I am very excited to introduce two very different stories, both going with the Life and Story theme. The first is the Life and Story of Effie Trinket, which is going to focus on Capitol life. I already have the first chapter written, so you can see that soon. The second is Life and Story of Clove, which is going to focus on life in District 2 and being a Career. **

**Hopefully you are going to enjoy these new stories! They are different than anything else I have ever written and I really like writing them. Please review!**


	28. Chapter 28

I step up onto the boat and look out over the sea. This is where I belong and I know that. This time, it just doesn't feel right.

I spend my time walking around; playing with every gadget the Capitol has graced my boat with. My boat is the one place that was untouchable to the Capitol, and now. I leave the boat and walk home. I don't have many insults thrown my way because of the boat that people are gazing at.

"Hey. Did you guys see my new boat?" I ask my parents, who are gathered around the window. It feels weird to call the boat mine.

"Yeah. It is causing quite a thrill around town." My dad says his voice stern.

"I don't want it." I tell them. My mom comes over to me and hugs me.

"You should keep it. Not keeping it would make even more problems." She directs me into what I should do. She has never, not once got involved in my Capitol life. I don't want her too either. I don't want to be mean either.

"I never said I wouldn't keep it. Dad, do you want it?" I ask him. He turns around at me and paces over.

"It is your boat. I cannot take that from you." He sounds like an army general, his voice showing no emotion.

"I don't want you to take it from me. I want to give it to you." Before he stops me, I keep talking.

"I promise I will eventually get on that boat and take my role. I'm just not ready now. I want to see what it would be like without the Capitol giving me everything." I explain to him. I think he understands because he nods.

"Are you sure?" He asks again before grabbing his coat.

"Yes." Before leaving, he comes over to me and looks me in the eye.

"My son. Never the one to accept anything."

"Sign here." The lawyer slides a piece of paper across the table at me, pointing to the red X written on the paper. I pick up the pen and write my name in my best possible handwriting, unlike the way I scribble my name when fangirls shove their cell phones at me.

"Done. This building is now yours. Congrats, Finnick." The lawyer puts the contract in his briefcase and makes his way out my home. I leave behind him and make my way into town. I walk four stores down from the candy store and walk up the steps. I try and find my key in my pocket.

I find the key in my back pocket of my jeans and unlock the door to my new store. And it smells terrible!

I run out of the store gagging. I should've known this building wouldn't have been in the best condition, seeing as it has been vacant for as long as I can remember. This is going to take some work.

The first thing I do is buy a scented candle. I light it the middle of the store for two reasons. One, so I can see, and second, so it will smell better. It smells like District 10 in here.

I open up the windows and screw some light bulbs into the huge light fixture above. I get some light blue paint and paint the walls until everything has been changed into the color of the sea, including my clothes. I hang up some shelves and order my first stock of inventory. The entire process takes me two weeks and the store still isn't finished. I come home two weeks later, dead tired.

"Mom!" I yell from my position on the couch.

"What, Finnick?" She asks from the kitchen.

"How much longer until dinner?"

"Around 15 minutes. Have a long day at work?" She asks me, wiping her hands on her towel.

"Yes! This bookstore is going to kill me before it even opens." I complain.

"You've survived much more than that and you will much longer." She says, cleaning the shrimp.

"Do you have an interview date set?" She asks.

"No. I have no idea how many people to hire either. I will be working there, maybe two other people?" I ask her. I should've planned more out.

"Just whatever feels right. I am sure this store will be a big hit." She tells me, preparing the breading for the shrimp.

"What do normal boys my age do?" I ask her. I am bored without working on the store.

"I guess they hang out on the beach. Maybe you should. You haven't been out there in a while. It would be good for you." She responds.

"Okay. I'll be at the beach if you need me. Call me in for dinner." I head upstairs to grab my towel.

I jog over to the beach and try and find someone that I might know. I don't want to seem like a loner. I find Noah a few feet away and head over.

"Hey! How's the bookstore going?" He asks when I come over.

"The bookstore is hard work. That building…"

"Is a piece of junk." He finishes for me. I nod and we laugh.

"Let's hit these waves!" And with that, we run off out to sea. This is the first time in a while I -have ever felt normal.

**Sorry for the delay! I got a new laptop and I had written this on my old laptop. It took me a while to have enough time to transfer all my files. Sorry and please review!**

e saH


	29. Chapter 29

**I have made a VERY late New Year's resolution to put out the best chapters possible! I will be going to writing when I feel like writing, because when I don't want too, I end up with terrible chapters. This might mean less frequent chapters, but hopefully they are better written. I would have good chapters rather than multiple chapters. This chapter is going to start with the reaping for the 74****th**** Hunger Games.**

Today, I don't open up the bookstore. No one will come in anyway – today is the reaping. Most people stay home, savoring their last seconds with their children, and the people that don't have children let them. The streets are silent because everyone stays home. I stay at home and sleep in, which I haven't done since I opened the store. I don't get to sleep in for a long time, which I would like to, because District 4 is the 4th reaping, meaning we are pretty early in the day.

I decide to go against my normal blue shirt that I wear every year. Tabia says that I need to spice it up a bit because I am the Capitol's heartthrob. It took everything for me to stop from laughing. She was really serious. I go with an orange shirt which I think looks terrible against my tan skin. Tabia says it is the next big fashion trend, so I go with it.

I head downstairs and grab an orange from the counter. I have to leave right away because mentors have to be there earlier. I walk down the streets eating my orange for breakfast. I walk up the stairs of the stage and throw my orange peel in the garbage can. I duck behind the curtains and into the mess that is Tabia's makeup counter.

"What are you putting on your face?" I ask her. She is applying some kind of weird bronze colored powder that makes her looks tanner.

"Bronzer. I'm in District 4; I need to have a tan!" She exclaims, like I am stupid for not doing it either.

"Couldn't you walk outside? It happens to be sunny today." I ask. That would be the normal thing to do. No one here puts on that stuff; actually, I don't think any of us care about our tans. It is just natural.

"Then, when I got back to the Capitol, I would be so out of place. Everyone back home is pale!" She explains. I wonder about these Capitol people. I still don't understand why she wants to make herself tanner, but I go with it. I really don't feel like arguing.

They are still putting names in the bowl. Everything is done by hand; the folding, the writing, and the mixing. They normally do it until the very last second. I wander how long it takes the poorer districts with some kids names being entered forty or fifty times. That must take them weeks. We are lucky in that not many kids sign up for tessera.

The mayor enters from around the curtain. He normally doesn't get there as early as he should, so I know we must be close to time. This time is one of his earliest arrivals because he normally has to chase around Noah.

"Finnick, some reporters from the Capitol want to talk to you. I would suggest you head outside now. They are getting loud." The mayor tells me. I nod and leave the backstage area. I see the news reporters from the Capitol gathered around the steps. I wonder how the mayor even got in.

"Finnick! How are you going to win? What is your game plan? Finnick, over here! What the status on you and Annie?" A bunch of reporters shout at me. This doesn't bother me too much because this is normal. Johanna says this doesn't happen to her often, so I think they just want the upper districts.

"Well, I don't have a game plan yet, seeing how I don't have any strength to work with. I guess I will just have to see what happens in the Reaping. And for my relationship, all I will say is that we are doing very well. Now, I believe I have to go see the tributes and you should too." I turn around and head backstage again. I say the same things all the time; I don't know why they always come back.

Tabia is ready, even though she keeps checking the mirror to make sure everything is perfect. She keeps spraying more hairspray. I am thankful when the alarm buzzes meaning we are supposed to go onstage. I was worried I was going to pass out because of the smell of that hairspray.

The whole fancy production is new to this year. The mayor starts giving his speech while I sit next to Tabia. The best thing about the new setting is that they have more comfortable chairs. Then, Tabia gets up to pick the names of the reaping. She first goes over to the bowl of girl's names. I hope we get a victor.

"Zoey Hale!" Tabia announces. Like always, there is a whole bunch of nuttiness about who is the first one to volunteer. I feel bad for Zoey because she might have actually wanted to be in the Games.

"You, green dress, black hair! What is your name?" Tabia says. The girl smiles and runs up the stairs. I notice that she is tall and skinny, which is good for a tribute. She seems muscular, but not overly powerful.

"Kalani Alana." She says, confidently. She might have a chance; unless I figure out she has no idea what she is doing, which has happened before. Then, Tabia goes over to the name for the boys and pulls out another name.

"Paul Kahale!" She shouts. The boy comes out of the group and I see the other kids whispering about him. Nobody volunteers. He doesn't look like he could do much. The other kids don't seem to have much confidence in him either. I cry comes from one of the moms, probably his. He stumbles up the stairs, which worries me.

I think back to the question that the reporters asked me. I have no idea how I'm going to get either of these tributes out alive and I really don't think I am. But, nothing is impossible so I smile widely and join them at the front of the stage. I really hope there are some really weak tributes this year. To be honest, I'm not too happy with either of my tributes. I can't believe I'm going to think of a quote from one of my mother's pillows.

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.

I think I might have to get lemonade when I'm on the train.


	30. Chapter 30

I decide to head to dinner early to watch the reapings. I am super anxious to figure out if my tributes have any chance. Finnick, don't judge them right now. Wait until you see their skills, I tell myself.

I turn on the television and pick up with District 1. The first girl, Glimmer, is really pretty. She has long blond hair and blue eyes and I can already tell that she will have a ton of supporters in the Capitol. The boy, Marvel, doesn't seem to be the smartest fish in the sea, if you get what I mean. District 2's girl is Clove who seems smart and cunning. She is the first one on my watch list. The District 2 boy, Cato, is huge and seems ready to kill. Second one on my watch list.

I don't really pay attention to District 3 or 4. District 5's girl, I forget her name, it was something weird, looked like she already had a game plan ready from the moment she was reaped. I watch District 7's and wonder what Johanna is going to train them. District 11 has this huge guy, named Thresh, that I believe that if he was born in an upper district, he would be volunteering. He might have a better chance of winning, too. The poor girl, Rue, was only twelve. I've had to train a few twelve year olds, and it is very hard. You know they have no chance.

I am about ready to feel super sorry for the other twelve year old that was picked, when another girl comes bursting out of the mass of girls, screaming. I can barely make out her words until she calms down a bit.

"I volunteer as tribute!" She shouts. I feel a shock at first. People from the outer districts, NEVER volunteer. What is this? Does she really believe that she is that good? At least she saved the younger girl. It makes sense when she walks up to the podium and the escort asks her name.

"Katniss Everdeen." She says. She looks like she is trying not to cry, and to the average person they would believe it, but it doesn't fool me for a second. She saved her sister. I don't know how to explain what I feel. It is strange but I find myself coming back to the idea that this Katniss girl will have everything. I might have had a chance before, even against the two giant boys and smart girls. This girl will be the death of my tributes.

The boy, who almost goes by without a notice, is Peeta, like the bread. He seems strong too, but the way he looks at Katniss is different than he looks at the cameras. That leaves me with two options about how Peeta feels about Katniss. He either loves her, or hates her. I have seen pure hatred and looked it in the eye, and that is not it. It has to be love.

One time, a girl left her boyfriend behind to go into the arena. She couldn't snap out of it. She truly believed that they were in love and she would never be complete without him. People that don't have any hope from the start die within two seconds. I feel bad for them. Bringing anything with you into the arena – any ideas or hopes or dreams about life – is terrible. Those are the people that lose.

I flip off the television. I should introduce myself to the new tributes, but I don't want too. I don't want to watch the reapings again or eat an awkward dinner. I don't want to eat dinner at all, actually. I force myself to sit down at the table with Mags, Tabia, Kanani, and Paul. I slowly pick at my serving of pasta, glancing up at Kanani and Paul every once in a while. Neither of them says anything. Finally Tabia, being Tabia, strikes up a conversation.

"Hello, Kanani. Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?" Tabia asks.

"Well, okay. Um, my dad's a fisherman and my mom used to make clothing. I had a little brother, but he died drowning. I guess you could say I live in the richer part, with my dog, Star. I have been training for a couple of years, but I really don't like it. That's why I volunteered, so I don't have to go through that torture again." She explains. I feel upset that she left when she wasn't supposed too.

"Wonderful! Paul, what about you?" Tabia asks. There is a couple minutes of silence, before Tabia asks again.

"Come on, speak up! We would love to know about you. What is home like?" She prompts Paul. I give Mags a look because something is wrong with that kid. I've had a bad feeling about him ever since he tripped up the stairs.

"Paul is deaf. He can't hear you." Kanani speaks up. Tabia looks at me with worry. We haven't really had any experience with disabled kids.

"So, he can't hear?" Tabia clarifies.

"That's what deaf means." I answer. The table gets more awkward than it was before. I realize that it will be hard to train him, to help him get sponsors. He won't be able to hear commands from Cato or hear others approaching him in the woods. You don't want too not be able to hear.

I am the first to leave the table. I clean off my plate and hand it to the Avox. I leave the door and just a few seconds later, I hear footsteps behind me. It's Kanani.

"You will train us, right? Because I really don't think we have an edge." She asks me. I turn around and look at her. This might just be my toughest challenge as a mentor yet.

"Being truthful, we don't have an edge. But, I'm going to get you one. You don't even have to train. Just trust me. Are you okay with lying?" I ask her. If a light bulb was above her head, I'm pretty sure it would light up.

"Will it help me win?" She questions me back.

"Of course."

"What do I have to do?"


	31. Chapter 31

"Any plan on what you are doing this year? We really need something good." I ask our new stylist, Livy. The fact that a new stylist already has one of the higher districts means she must be good.

"Don't worry! I've got tons of plans, all of which include your tributes looking absolutely show stopping!" She gushes, blinking way too much. It brings attention to her blue eyeshadow with little dolphins jumping off the edge of her eye. I guess she really is taking in the District 4 theme.

I leave to let her work her magic with our other stylist, Fauna. I head to make up a game plan in our apartment. I don't want to go hang out with the other mentors today. I need them to be amazing. People know I bring home victors because I make people fall in love with them, bringing out their victories so much that no one can even recognize their weaknesses. The job of a mentor is to make people fall in love with the tributes so that when they get in the arena, if they get hurt, people will want to cry and give everything to help them. If you think the people will do that, you know that is when a tribute is prepared.

Katniss already is one step ahead of everyone else. She connected with the people when she volunteered to save her little sister. She already has a story and connections with the people. She may not realize it, but she already has gazillions of people that would save her. By volunteering for her sister, she has already started gaining supporters from the moment she was screaming for her sister.

I really don't know what I can do with the boy, so I decide to leave him for later. I decide to start work on Kanani. She has the form to kill people, which shouldn't be an issue. I just need for people to like her. She isn't pretty, so I can't go with that angle. She isn't overly confident. She doesn't have an amazing back story. You don't look at her and be afraid. You don't look at her and feel sorry for her. I guess we are going to play the worst possible option: the girl next door.

I really can't help her other than that right now. I will eventually have to start with how to answer questions. I have to wait until training to get a feel for what she is good at with weapons. I can't stand the quiet in the apartment and I don't want to turn on the television. All that will be on will be Katniss. The quiet brings hauntings of the past, so I turn off the lights and leave.

I run into Johanna in the hallway, going the same way I am.

"How's everything going with you?" I ask. She smirks.

"Terribly. With that stupid 12 girl, we all know that no one has a chance. Please feel free to take offense." She says. I laugh because it is so true.

"She sure has caused a lot of trouble. The best way to get her out is to kill her early. Once she gets past day one, everyone is done for." I explain.

"Who do we get to kill her?" She asks, ready to make alliances with anybody. I don't think Katniss is all that bad, but Johanna obviously does.

"You seriously want to kill her first?" She nods like I am stupid for even asking the question.

"Tell me. You know something!" She demands. I give in.

"Really you have four options. Cato and Clove would love to kill her. Thresh could, but I don't know if he will, being from the outer districts. Or…" I trail off. If she could kill me right now, she would.

"Tell me! I am not talking to Enobaria! Do you remember what happened last time?" She asks. I certainly do remember. Let's just say that afterwards we had to relocate rooms.

"Peeta."

"Peeta? Have you seen that kid? He looks at people and charms them. He might just replace you!"

"That's the point. Katniss probably trusts him, or will trust him anyway. She will never see it coming. Except for the obvious fact that Peeta is in love with Katniss, so he isn't going to kill her."

"Wait, Peeta is in love with Katniss? How do you know?" She asks.

"Don't you see the way he looks at her? It's all over his face." I explain to her. We are now at the room we are supposed to be in, but we don't walk in yet.

"Any other options? Glimmer, maybe? Or, um, that girl with the fox face?" She asks, desperate to get her dead.

"We could just get Enobaria to help us. If we want to kill her." I tell her, trying to convince her that we need to get Enobaria on our side. With my social skills and Enobaria's strong tributes, we could get her dead. But, I don't really know if I want her dead.

"Fine. I will talk to her and yes, we are going to kill her. But if anything happens, promise me, you will not call the peacekeepers? I do not need them angry at me again." I promise her and she walks in, not immediately heading over toward Enobaria.

"Go." I whisper to her and she gets up and walks over. Nothing happens for a while, then you can see Johanna biting her tongue, and then they shake hands and she comes back over.

"Guess who is going to die? And guess who is going to help us?" She says, quite cheery for being in the Capitol.

"Katniss and me, because you brought me into it." I say, hoping that isn't the answer.

"Only way she would say yes." She replies and I can't believe she got me into this.

"Are we telling the tributes about our alliance?" I ask her.

"No way! We tell Clove and Cato, the most confident people ever, that they are partnering with a couple of tributes from 7? Not gonna work." She explains. I'm still lost on what this about.

"So what exactly are we doing?" I ask.

"We keep them alive. You don't have any problem with helping others right?" She makes sure.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. We are just helping our tributes once she dies, right?"

"Exactly."

We are called out for the tribute parade. I leave last, worried about what I just committed to. The entire time while watching the parade, I worry the entire time, especially when they come out in their costumes which are on fire! The crowd is cheering really loud for them, even more when they lock hands and hold them up in the air. People are throwing roses and cheering their name. When they pull up in front of the president, you can tell they are the favorites, ones people will give everything for.

Why did I say I would kill the Girl on Fire? This is going to be impossible.

**Finnick has gotten himself in quite some trouble! How are they going to kill the Girl on Fire? If this was confusing, pretty much Johanna told Enobaria that they were going to help Cato and Clove stay alive in order to get the Girl on Fire dead in the first seconds, but Finnick isn't sure about how they are going to kill her, or if he even wants to. Sorry for the long wait! If you want the next chapter to be up sooner, make sure you review.**


	32. Chapter 32

This year just keeps getting worse and worse for me. The interviews don't really help anyone, except for the now star crossed lovers of District 12.

After my tributes left, just passing by, we mostly just hung out back stage and tried not to remind myself of how my tributes had bombed that experience. The interviews had always been my favorite part of my time in the Capitol. Even when I was a tribute, I liked them the best because it was easiest for me to speak to the people and express myself.

Marvel was stupid and Glimmer was just, well, pretty. If she wins, she might be a new heartthrob for all the guys in the Capitol. For that, I feel bad for her. Cato and Clove came off as cocky, like I imagined. I don't even think they had to train themselves to be that way; they just were. The girl from 5 was amazingly sneaky and I put her on the top of my threat list.

Rue was so cute up there, in her dress that made her seem even more youthful. She seemed so delicate sitting under the bright lights, answering the questions in her quiet voice. Rue was innocent and that was the worst part of it all.

Katniss was silly. I watched and each time she turned in her fiery dress and giggled, I lost more and more fear in her. For the first time, I had the serious thought that she might not make it past the bloodbath. She could've just been wearing a mask that had us all fooled, until she sat back down on that chair and calmed herself down. When she started talking about her sister, they should've just crowned her victor right then.

She had the entire audience in tears. I bet that she could tell them to get her back home and they would all do it without a second thought. The worst part of it all was that she didn't even know she was doing it.

Peeta was the best interview of the entire night. He was funny, cracking jokes about the showers, which are not my favorite part of the Capitol. When he got serious was when it all went nuts. The question came about the girl back home, the one asked to every good looking tribute. And, for once, he seemed almost scared.

He didn't look the type of scared you get when you look death in the eye. That scared is different than the scared you get when you are about to spill your guts out to someone because they are interrogating you. You thought Claudius would've asked to tell the world about some dark family secret.

Finally, he stammers out that he doesn't have anyone back home. Claudius gives him some relationship tips and then Peeta messes them all up because someone winning won't help him, which is strange. Claudius obviously wants to know why, like Claudius always does.

"Because she came here with me." Peeta stammers out and you can hear the gasps coming from the audience. Tabia gasps too. I turn around and she quickly covers her mouth with her hand. The last thing we need is an unsupportive escort.

Then the interviews are over. I send Kanani and Paul to bed, which I know they aren't going to sleep, but they really should. They aren't going to sleep comfortably in the arena, so it is best to stock up on it now. Johanna bangs open the door before I can even get another thought in. It is a good thing Kanani and Paul are gone.

"Why did Peeta have to say that? Have you seen the rankings?" She says angrily. When I shake my head no, she grabs the television remote and turns on the television. Sure enough, Katniss Everdeen is listed as number one.

"We can still work around this. If we kill her in the bloodbath, no one will even know what is going on." I tell her, but she doesn't think it is a good response.

"Or we could give up, let her win. It won't be so bad. What did she ever do to you?" I throw out. She glares at me like I said the stupidest thing ever, which would be the concept of the Hunger Games.

"Don't you like bringing home victors? It isn't fair to have someone already be winning and they haven't even made it a day in the arena."

"The Careers have no problem with doing that."

"I don't care because they have had training and can put up a fight. Katniss…just…I get this bad feeling about her. She is trouble and I can tell." She explains.

"Just go to bed. We will see what happens in the morning." She gets up to leave before I throw in one more word.

"Just don't talk to Enobaria. That is the last thing we need right now." With that, Johanna is out the door and I can hear her footsteps stomping down the hallway until they stop with a door slam.

"5….4….3….2….1!" And they are off. All twenty four of them are running as fast as they can, some stopping to pick up things that tempt them in the cornucopia and others take off toward the surrounding forests. Those are the smart ones.

The first person I notice is Katniss, who surprisingly, takes a stop at the feast. Enobaria has clearly put the plan into action, because Clove starts launching knifes at her. One hits the boy who is wrestling her and the other hits in the bright orange backpack that she has grabbed. She takes off without Clove running after her. Clove just sticks another knife into a boy's heart.

I notice Foxface has also been held up at the arena, but she has sneakily plucked some things that people didn't concern themselves with or were thrown when their owner died. She ducks into the forest in the same area Katniss did. I don't worry for either of them. The chances of either killing the other are slim.

When the bloodbath is finally over and it gives the time for the gamemakers to count the bodies is when people's tablets start flashing off. It starts with Cashmere, who makes it by, Enobaria, who follows, Beetee, who loses the girl, and then me, who everyone expects to go by. But it doesn't.

Paul is dead.

**Sorry if this chapter was rushed! I just wanted to get into the games more. Thanks for all your reviews! There will be a special announcement in the next chapter!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Sorry that is has been a long time since I updated! I started an original novel but I will try to balance the time I spend on all the stories. I also put out the first chapter of the Life and Story of Clove, which starts a little bit before the 74****th**** Hunger Games and is Clove's POV. **

I grab the remote to the television marked 4 and replay backwards until the beginning.

"Stuff is happening!" Johanna tells me, but I am too focused on finding Paul's cause of death. I hit play again and re watch everything that happened.

First, Paul is far ahead of everyone else on their way down the hill. He grabs one of the spears as Marvel and Clove come running into the Cornucopia. Paul throws the spear right at the pile of knives where Clove is standing. Cato sees this happen, chases Clove out to go fight, and then takes care of Paul himself. All it took was one swing of the sword.

I turn off the television and turn back to Johanna, whose tablet is already totally black.

"I knew they wouldn't make it that far." She walks over to the bin and drops it in, without any emotion. Mine is still glowing because we still have some hope in Kanani.

"So what happened while I was catching up on all the Career drama?" I ask Johanna.

"Well, you obviously missed some of the Career drama. Peeta joined the Career pack so that they can find Katniss." She tells me. I look up to the screen and sure enough, Peeta is picking through the Cornucopia with Marvel.

"Good pick." I say. I must say that it was a very smart move. Who better to find lover girl than lover boy?

That night, the Careers go hunting. Their first find is the idiot that started a fire. Starting a fire in the darkness is one of the stupidest things you can do. It is just a fact. Cato kills her and Peeta finishes her off. The next day, the main event is that Katniss is being hunted down by a wall of fire.

Fire has been one of the scariest things for me ever since the boat disaster. Annie has also added that to her list. I try to stay away from fire, but we need it for survival. Fire is one of the most confusing things on the world. It helps us survive, but in a second, can destroy everything. That is the worst part of it.

She runs throughout the fire and is able to dodge most of the fire balls thrown at her. The Gamemakers don't help her, growing trees and throwing more fire at the push of a button. They surely want her dead or badly injured. But why?

Then, the Careers find her. This is it! Katniss is a goner with her burnt leg and the Career pack chasing her down. When they find her, they are all cheering and clapping because once she is gone, it will be an easy game. They can dominate the arena until they are the only ones left and then is when it gets violent. I know; I've seen it happen.

Katniss climbs up a tree and Cato climbs up the tree. As the leader of the pack, he probably believes that he should be the one to kill Katniss. The problem is that he is too arrogant.

"Look! We've got her now!" Johanna shouts.

"Yeah, but Cato cannot climb that tree. He is too big and too arrogant. They should send Clove. She's small and deadly." I explain to her.

"You really should be an announcer for these games; you'd be amazing." She compliments me. I don't consider myself an expert, but I can normally see who is going to win from the reapings. They normally do, too.

"Yeah, but I was born in the wrong place." In order to be the announcer, you must be a Capitol citizen, not from the districts. Even though I am from an upper class district, that doesn't compare to the opportunities that a Capitol born person has.

We turn back to the games and watch Glimmer throw some arrows up at Katniss. She is really bad at it though, and Katniss starts using her witty charm on them. They just scoff and Peeta throws out the idea to sleep under the tree. She can't leave. Another smart move! Katniss will be dead by morning.

The anthem starts and Rue comes out of the branches. I actually forgot she was still alive. It is a pretty good year for District 11 because both Rue and Thresh came out of the bloodbath alive.

She points to the nest hanging above Katniss' head. Katniss figures out what Rue means and starts sawing away the branch with the knife Clove threw at her. Clove might just die by her own weapon. She saws down the branch, faster and faster to make sure that the noise is still unnoticeable.

The nest drops and creates mass fury. Katniss jumps down from the tree and the Careers get up in a flurry, trying to grab all of their weapons and gear. Marvel takes off first because he is attached to that spear. Cato grabs Clove's arm and they run off to the river.

Glimmer screams for them, again and again, until her attempt at fleeing is gone. I realize that Kanani is sitting next to her, struggling to get up still. By now, they should be dead. And they are.

My tablet goes black. We are done. They are done. I am done. District 4's chances have finished.


	34. Chapter 34

Everyone stares at me as the final light goes out on my tablet. I get up out of my chair and walk across the suddenly silent room to drop off my tablet. All that you can hear is the sound of a chair squeaking as it turns and eventually, the sound of my tablet connecting with the metal of the bin.

I turn back around and every eye in the room is shooting straight through my head. I just keep walking, pretending like everything is normal. But it isn't.

This is the earliest that someone that I have mentored has died. I was really hoping to go into the Quarter Quell with a victor and everyone betting on my tributes so they could win a Quarter Quell. District 4 hasn't won a Quarter Quell yet; only 1 and 12.

I take a seat back in my chair and turn my head toward the main television. Eventually, everyone else slowly turns back to their business.

I try to act like it is completely normal that both died this early on, but inside, I have a gazillion thoughts in my head. Did I train them wrong? Could I have saved them? What will District 4 think of me? Surely, I will be looked down upon. I have gotten used to coming home to the cheers of the people. Now, they will still be cheering, but for all the wrong reasons.

I don't think that I trained them wrong. I did what I did every other year. I could use the excuse that they weren't strong enough before prep time began. But, I've been able to make victors out of even the smallest tributes. That is not a valid excuse.

I couldn't have saved either of them. Normally, you can only save a tribute when they have been left for dead or are facing survival problems like hunger. Paul died by the hands of Cato and he died immediately after. Kanani was attacked by tracker jackers, and even the strongest of tributes can't fight them off.

The arena is one of the scariest places because you can train forever and never be truly prepared. The way that the gamemakers mess with you is sickening. They get inside your mind and create monsters that only your wildest dreams could have conjured up. It is like a terrible nightmare that you can never wake up from. Because it is reality.

I break for lunch early. I've got nothing to do anyway. I decide to eat in the waiting room that is normally used for when the tributes are away getting ready for the tribute parade and training. Only a few days ago, I was planning for their victory. All those hours of planning down the drain.

I walk down to the room and fill out the sheet of paper that lets us order food. I hand it to the Peacekeeper and he pokes a bunch of number into his little machine at his side. I've also seen it used as a taser.

Johanna comes in behind me and does the same. She takes a seat next to me and just lets me sit there for a while.

"Dude, you got to get over this! You didn't do anything wrong. If the amount of tributes we brought home was what we were graded on, I would get a F. You have brought home multiple ones, almost a record, and you are moping? You would get an A in the test of mentoring." She knocks some sense in me with her terrible shot at making any wisdom in the situation.

"She's right you know. For once." Cecelia says as she walks in the room. Cecelia has become one of my favorite people here because she actually seems normal. She still has all the qualities that normal people possess. Mags comes in with her.

"It is really impressive what you've done. For some reason, you had instilled so much hope in these little children and to see them leave is hard. We've all been there. If you ever want to talk, we are here. And Annie is back home." Cecelia says. Her voice is more comforting and calm than Johanna's, who is more forceful in her comfort.

"And ocean." Mags stumbles. I always have the ocean.

**Short chapter, long author's note! I told you two chapters ago that I would have a special announcement for you and obviously, I haven't told you that yet like I was supposed to. I am going to do another contest. Rules follow:**

**This contest will be going on for the next five chapters (34-39).**

**For each chapter, all you need to do is leave a review. There will also be a bonus question at the end of each chapter that if you answer correctly, you will get an extra entry. Leave the answer in your review, but you have to have something else in your review. Ex. "I liked that you are showing some other characters. (Insert Answer Here). **

**I will pick four winners and each will get a different prize. Winners will be picked using **

**Prize #1: Pick any previous victor that has already been mentioned throughout the HG series. **

**Prize #2: Pick any sea creature and name it.**

**Prize #3: Pick a name for a boy (first and middle name.)**

**Prize #4: Cannot be disclosed at this time. It will be revealed when the winners are announced because it will make more sense at that point in the story and telling you would be spoilers. **

**Any questions leave them in the reviews! **

**Thanks for reading this! The question for this chapter is: What is the most expensive gift ever given in the arena?**


	35. Chapter 35

I head back into District 4 trying desperately to hide myself from the crowds of people. I manage to get by without any rotten food in my face, which is good. I get home and head straight upstairs to my room. I walk over to the window and look outside. My gaze shifts to the wall where I wrote my goals for fixing my life.

All of them have a check mark printed next to them. Now, I have an entire summer to do whatever I want until next reaping.

"Did you see that?" Daniel says as he comes in my room, followed by Noah and his new girlfriend, Jessica. Jessica and him have actually been dating for a long time, 2 years.

"What?" I ask them, not really in the mood to talk. I don't want to be rude and tell them to leave though.

"Peeta and Katniss _both _won! Isn't that illegal? I mean, what were they thinking when they let them both win?" He exclaims, obviously excited at the previous events and what they will bring. Me, not so much.

"I guess it's better to have two victors than no victor. Plus, then everyone would be on their case about forcing the star crossed lovers to fight to the death." I say, finding myself fighting on the Capitol's side. I tend to stay far, far away from them and their opinions on life.

"Yeah, but there have been other lovers in the arena. And the Capitol didn't let them live." Daniel brings up. It is true and you can see them scattered every 10 years or so often. The rare cases when two tributes seem to find love in the arena.

"It is easier to keep your love a secret than go bragging it to the entire world. It also helps when you have Peeta's looks and Katniss' love for her little sister." I explain. I really hope that I don't have to go back to the Capitol again to perform my duties. I hope Peeta will for me. That will never happen though, because Peeta and Katniss are the Capitol's hot couple.

Noah stands in the background of all of this, just holding Jessica's hand. When a silent moment comes, he drops to one knee and tries to pull something out of his pocket. Of course, him being Noah, he can't get it out so he has to change his position to pull out the small black box. I know what is going to happen almost immediately, but Daniel still remains clueless.

"Jessica Kama, I love you so much, and will you marry me?" Noah asks as he opens the black box to show a silver ring. Jessica starts crying and I know that I should feel happy for them, but all I can thing about is how my boring summer has just been ruined. We don't like to wait around for weddings, so the wedding will probably be within two months or so.

I miss the entire rest of Jessica's reaction because I am too busy watching Daniel. He is really confused at first, and then he finally makes sense of it all. I then realize that Noah proposed to Jessica in my bedroom. Odd.

We make our way down the stairs and Jessica is still crying. We head outside and Noah and Jessica leave to go tell their parents. I sigh, loud enough for Daniel to hear.

"And with that, we just got plans for every single rest of the day for two months." I say.

"You know, we will get to be the best men." He tries to bring up a good point.

"Yeah, but now we have to deal with wedding planning, marriage problems, and eventually child problems."

"We really are going to hate this." I say. Across the street, Annie comes out of her house and walks over to our location on my porch.

"What is all the shouting about?" She asks as she takes a seat next to me on the bench.

"Noah and Jessica are getting married." I explain. She smiles.

"How fun. When I was in the second grade, Jessica and I would spend hours planning our wedding day. I bet I still have the plans somewhere." She remembers. Jessica and Annie are best friends.

"That would be really helpful because we have taken the role upon ourselves of wedding planner." Daniel tells Annie.

"We have?" I ask him, unaware of my new position.

"Well, I am, and I am not doing this alone."

So much for my boring summer.

**The contest is still going on! Just review this chapter and put your answer in the review, if you know it. All rules are on last chapter. Here is your question:**

**We all know that Finnick is amazing with a trident. What is another skill that Finnick has in the arena?**


	36. Chapter 36

**Thanks for all of your reviews because I really kept them in mind while writing this chapter. The answer to the last question could be tying knots, making nets, swimming, or looking good for the sponsors.**

The next day I head over to Annie's house so we can look for the plans to Jessica's dream wedding. I have decided to look at the bright side of my new plans. I will be able to spend more time with Annie.

Annie leads me upstairs to her attic. Attics are always the best places because you can see the ocean and the sunset from up there. We climb up the creaky wooden ladder and pull ourselves up into the wood paneled attic.

"I think it should be in one of these boxes. Maybe that one?" She says, pointing toward a box at the far corner of the room. I walk over and bring the box over to where we are sitting, near the edge so our feet dangle over onto the second floor. She lifts the lid and starts pulling out papers.

"It doesn't look like it. I think it could be on the other box marked with a three." I replace the box with the three box and we open this one to look through it. I look at Annie and the way that the sun hits her strawberry blonde hair so that it almost glistens. Her bright green eyes dart from side to side, looking for missing pieces of her childhood before it was ripped away by the hands of the Capitol. That snaps me back to life.

"Oh, I think this is it!" She pulls out an orange notebook and flips a couple pages. Her eyesbrows crush together in a worry and then passes the notebook to me.

"Read it, silently." She whispers. I begin to read:

"The duty has been done. He has been gotten rid of and surely, we have no major threats anymore here in District 4. I do seem curious about that boy, Finnick Odair, the one that your citizens treasure so dearly. He seems to be getting into some of our territory, ones that must not find. I promise you that I can try to lead him away, but I don't see what good it will do. He's going to figure out."

Then another one, dated later.

"If he has found it, tell him the truth. We don't want to get ourselves in anymore trouble. Just make sure he doesn't tell anyone else. We have the power here. But make sure nothing like this happens again or your bones will be the one in that cave. By the way, we are looking for someone really interesting to put in the games – a pretty girl, a powerful boy, or a sobbing backstory. Thoughts? Anything is possible. No one has to know of your civic duties."

The last one, dated a month after.

"After being around town and in the schoolyard, I can now tell you that I think I have found what you are looking for. Her name is Rosie and she is absolutely precious to all of those around here. Sweet girl, blonde curls, pink cheeks, looks exactly like a porcelain doll. I'm sure she would be a quality piece. Are we good?"

I turn the page, hoping for another letter, but none is there. While I was reading, Annie must've kept looking through the box and she now holds a pink notebook of the same style.

"This was it." She opens it to show me the pages filled with Annie's clean cursive detailing every last moment of what was to occur and how it should look.

I hear Annie's mom coming up the stairs and I motion to her to hide the letters. I shove them back in the box; right at the bottom underneath some of Annie's all A report cards. I motion for her to scoot closer to me and I press my lips against hers lightly just as her mother walks past.

"Get back to work, lovebirds!" She tells us, I think jokingly. She is underneath the ladder with her head craned upwards to look at us. She passes by and we break away at the same time. Annie looks nervous, instead of her normal calm eyes.

I reach down and pull up the ladder and shut the door to the second floor so that we can talk without any interruptions. When I look back at Annie, she has completely shut down and now stares into nothingness. I fold up the letters and put them in my pocket. I lightly slide the wedding plans out of her hand and put them right on top of the door so I don't forget to grab them on the way out.

I put the box back in its place nearby the wall. I walk over to the window and I can tell that is almost dark. I should be getting home. I walk back over to Annie, kiss her on the cheek, grab my papers, and head down the ladder. On my way out the door, I stop to talk to Annie's mom.

"Annie's in a faze right now. She's in the attic." I let her know.

"Okay. Did you find what you were looking for?" She asks.

"Yep. This should really help." I say, holding the papers up so she can see. Then, I let myself out the door and walked across the street back to my house.

When I walk in, I can smell my favorite dinner: pineapple glazed fish fillets. With my job in the bookstore, and my dad's recent purchase of a new crabbing boat, we have enough money to afford luxury foods. However, we don't eat this every day, only on special occasions. My mom comes into the kitchen and I ask her why she prepared such an elegant meal.

"Because, we should celebrate not only your victories but your failures."

**Please let me know what you thought of this chapter! I wrote this at 11 pm last night but I just got the chance to publish this. This does count as a part of the contest. The question is:**

**Name the industries of the following three districts: 1, 4, and 7.**

**You must have all three industries in order to get the extra entry.**


	37. Chapter 37

I take slow, small bites letting the pineapple juice just soak into the fish. It tasted much better that way. My parents aren't a big fan of small talk so we eat dinner in silence except for the humming of the television that was left on in the living room. I don't know what they were reporting on; maybe District 13.

Afterwards, I head upstairs and examine the wedding plans. It seems pretty simple, just a wedding on the beach like every other one around here. I was hoping to have it done by the end of the summer. I get out a piece of blank paper and start writing notes.

I look at my calendar and pick a date, July 27th, which also happens to be the day the Quarter Quell is announced. I wasn't really too worried about that. It would be a special day for them and the country. My mind drifts to the looming Quarter Quell.

Everyone knows that President Snow is out to get Katniss, especially since she was totally not in love with Katniss. I don't think that he has the same plans for Peeta because all of his actions were obviously out of love, unlike Katniss'. I'm almost 99% sure that Katniss offered those berries to get a reaction out of the Capitol, not so that she and Peeta could be in love forever.

The Quarter Quell is probably going to be tough, just so that Katniss could be made fun of and made sure that she is known to have no power. They might do something really cruel and rig the reaping so that her younger sister or some other little twelve years old gets picked. I can't even imagine what will come out of that box, but I do know one thing. It was not written 75 years ago.

I turn my attention back on the wedding. An entire hour has passed and I have only written one thing. I start on a list of guests. I write down my family, Noah's family, Jessica's family, and Daniel's family. I write down Jessica's friends, Daniel, Annie, and me. I invite the mayor. I fold up the paper and make a mental note to take the list to both Noah and Jessica for reviewing.

I then make another mental list of places that I need to go to get everything for the wedding. I need some flowers, some type of cake which Daniel can provide, and outfits for both Noah and Jessica. After that, I check everything in with Annie and she tells me what else we need. Then, we set it all up July 27th and wait for everyone to gather on the south beach. Nope, not hard.

The next day, I wake up way earlier than normal because I can't sleep. Those letters are haunting me and I want to know what they all mean. When I think about it, I really do know what they mean. I'm just running from the facts. Annie's mother is working for the Capitol as some kind of inside source.

It is eating me, consuming my mind as I toss and turn. I think I need to tell someone but I don't know who. I know that I can't tell Annie, not yet anyway. I need to protect her. I guess I could tell Daniel but I don't know if he would understand everything yet. I don't want to ruin this special time for Noah. My parents will just get even more concerned for me. I finally decide on someone to talk to.

I leave later in the day after breakfast so not to disturb her. I go over to her house, only a couple doors down from mine, still in Victor's Village. I don't bother to knock because she just lets people come in.

"Hello, Finnick," Mags says from her position on her bed. I walk over and sit on one of the chairs in the living room.

"Hello, Mags. How are you?" I ask her and she shakes her head.

"Didn't come small talk," She tells me and I insert the missing words. I better get straight to the point. I tell her what I found in the cave, what I told Annie's mom, and the letters. She lets it all soak in for a moment before offering some advice.

"Talk her," She mumbles. I guess I should talk to Annie's mom; that would probably be the best for everyone involved. Her nurse comes into the room and shoos me out because it is time for Mags' therapy.

I walk out of her house even more confused than before. I guess I should talk to Annie's mom but I am scared of the consequences. I walk up to my house and make it halfway up the stairs before telling myself to just go talk to her. I turn myself around and make my way over to Annie's house. It's time to get this thing over with.

**Sorry for not updating in a while! The next chapter is the interrogation of Annie's mom and I'm excited! The question for this chapter to get you an extra entry into the contest is:**

**When did Mags go into the arena and win? Hint: She is around 80 years old according to Katniss.**


	38. Chapter 38

I knock on the door, deciding to start off with some type of manners. I've planned this so that Annie wouldn't be home when I came because I didn't want to bother her anymore. She has to deal with enough.

Annie's mom opens the door. She must have been baking because she is still wearing her apron with a kitchen towel tucked in the apron pocket. She seems sweet, from a distance.

"Oh, hello Finnick! Annie isn't here right now," she greets me.

"I'm not here to talk to Annie. Can I speak to you actually, in private?" I phrase it as more as a demand instead of a question.

"Yes, sure. Come in," she replies. She takes off her apron, rolls it in a ball, and puts it on the carpeted steps that lead up to the second floor. She leads me into the living room and I take a seat on the couch. She sits across the room.

"I found these while we were looking for the wedding plans and upon further examination; I found some very disturbing things. I just wanted to know what is going on," I explain. And pass the letters to her. I got copies of them earlier in the day to make sure that I would always have them in case she burned them in a fire or something.

She picks up the letters and scans them over, but not for long. She immediately recognizes her handwriting and Snow's handwriting and the words she wrote. She looks back up at me and instead of being the sweet lemonade lady; she has turned into the lady with the eyes of fire.

"Who knows?" She whispers harshly to me. I have to think quickly. I don't want to hurt Annie, so I think it would be best to leave her out of this. She probably forgot it ever happened anyway or at least I hope so.

"Only I do but I'm not scared to tell this to everyone. All I have to do is hang these up in the town square and you will be exposed unless you tell me what these have to do with you," I tell her. I'm not as quite polite as her in the volume of my words but not quite yelling, yet.

"I'll explain, seeing as that is the only way I can get out of this. You must promise not to tell anyone and if I hear anything, you will pay. Understand?" I nod my head and she gulps before she begins to tell me the reasons for her actions.

"The year before I graduated high school, I was chosen from the people at the training center to go into the arena. But, I couldn't. My mother was having another child and I knew more than anyone else that I wasn't the best one in the training center. I only went in because all my friends were there. I told them no, but they said I had to. They said the president had interest in me; I was serving my country, I was sure to have all the sponsor gifts. I just couldn't," she sucks in another breath. This story is obviously a hard one to tell.

"They let me go and picked some other girl. Taylor, she won that year, you've met her. Two years later, they told me that they let me go once and they wouldn't anymore. I had to be their spy, trying to find people that seemed like good people to pretend reap or whatever else the president wanted me to do. I sent him letters and made up excuses for when I left while really I was in the Capitol," she stops again. I know that the best part is about to come.

"The letters that you saw were from when Rosie was sent into the Games. That year, they asked me to pick someone that was really cute and would draw lots of sponsors. I knew that they were planning to kill her with their own motives. I had to make sure that she wasn't too young or otherwise people would volunteer," I think she is about to finish or maybe she is already there.

In District 4, volunteering is a secret thing. It isn't as public as I've heard District 2 does it. They tell the people they want to volunteer in secret and they aren't allowed to tell anyone. Sometimes they don't even pick one. In my case, everyone thought I was supposed to volunteer anyway and no one volunteered. I don't know if it is a good or a bad thing they didn't.

She takes a long break, so long that I think she is done.

"You found a letter that I wrote about Rosie and at the end, about you. Everything that I told you then wasn't exactly the truth. Yes, my son did contact the Capitol to make sure that Annie got home and he was told to burn your dad's boat. They really were fake bones, but that is where it stops. After the boat, I was told to kill him because the Capitol had to get their bloodshed someway. I couldn't, especially not their own son. I told him to go out to the cave and sealed it. A few days later, I came back, took out the body, and put in the sea. No one's found it yet and when they asked about his death, I told them that it was a private ceremony because of the Games and that he died of hypothermia," She stops, this time not talking again. I guess she is waiting for me to say something, but I don't want to. I always knew that District 4 wasn't safe, but I never thought that spies lived among us. How many were just like her? How many innocent deaths weren't so innocent because of the Capitol's doings? How many people had committed to the job of bloodshed on the home front?

"Thank you. I promise I won't tell anyone. Just, one more thing. Please never do this again. I can get you a job at the bookstore if you need money," I offer her. I want to play it nice even though the anger is bubbling up inside me. She stands up and puts her hand on my shoulder.

"I would love that. Thank you," she says, almost about to cry. She leads me back to the front door and I leave. I don't have any doubts that I'm not going to tell her, but I do worry about myself. What if I've just created a deeper hole for Annie and me? What if I'm the next mysterious death that no one expects?

I walk home, glancing back every few seconds because it feels like someone's watching me. I have to get rid of this feeling somehow. The best way to do it would be to win the Quarter Quell and restore my glory as mentor.

I enter my house and head up to my room, pretending to think about Noah's wedding. But really, I'm thinking about the Quarter Quell, the one that will determine my fate.

**This is the last chance you have to enter the contest! You must review by this Monday, May 28****th****. Winners will be announced on May 29****th**** along with their prize. The answer to last week's question was any game between 7 – 13. This week's question is:**

**Who do you think should play Finnick in the Catching Fire movie? **

**I would love to know who you think is the perfect Finnick! As always, thanks for the reviews! **


	39. Chapter 39: Contest Winners Redraw!

**Hey everyone and thanks for participating in my contest! I am so grateful for all of your reviews and the contest was an amazing way for you to tell me exactly what you wanted in future chapters. All the winners were picked using . Our winners are:**

**Pinklove21**

**Yellowsunshine**

**Wildcroconaw (twice)**

**If you are a member here on Fanfiction, I will be messaging you as well. As I said, each one of you will be picking something so….**

**Pinklove21 ****–**** Pick any victor from any past games other than Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch, Johanna, or Annie**

**Yellowsunshine ****–**** Pick any sea creature ****–**** real or not real.**

**Wildcroconaw ****–**** Pick a name for a boy and a color.**

**Thanks everyone for being a part of my contest! The answers will all be in different chapters and I will also dedicate that chapter to you! Thanks again for all your reviews and I can't wait for you to see what's coming up. **

**And for the last question, it seems like most of you want Grant Gustin to play Finnick! Hunter Parrish, Zac Efron, and James Gaisford were also mentioned. As for me, I think Zac Efron should play Finnick . **

**If you won, message or review with your answer. Thanks for reviewing everyone!**

**I've had to do a redraw for the winner of the last two prizes, so those two are:**

**ultimatehungergamesfan - pick any sea creature**

**ramonks33 - pick a name for a boy and a color**


	40. Chapter 40

Traveling to a week before the reaping:

Today is Noah's wedding day and I'm probably more nervous than him. Mainly because it doesn't seem that people understand the difference between green and emerald. I have taken on this position very seriously and it is kind of odd how much time and work I've put into this. Mags says it is because I'm connecting it to something else in my life.

We have exactly three hours until the wedding takes place and I'm currently standing in front of the bookstore, which I have converted into the almost perfect place for their wedding. I have brought in tables from the candy store and covered them with hazel tablecloths so they wouldn't be so bright. Everything should be perfect in the reception area that Annie is working on down by the sea. The only bad thing is that it seems that Noah's tie isn't the right color.

I walk up to Daniel and ask to see the checklist. He hands it to me and I go down the list making sure everything is in place. The wedding dress has been delivered, the cake has been made, the reception has been set up, everyone has RSVPed, and all that is left to do is fix the actual wedding area. We probably should've put our tasks in a better order.

Before I know it, the wedding is about to start and I barely have enough time to change out of my paint splattered jeans and into my suit. I run back to the bookstore and meet Daniel and Noah around the back of the bookstore. Noah looks really nervous.

"How's it going?" I ask him.

"Okay. I'm really nervous. You did get everything right, right? This has to be perfect," he says.

"Yes, I got everything right and then double checked," I assure him. He nods, but he still wrings his hands. His dad comes around the corner and stands with us for a moment.

"They're ready. Good luck, son," he tells Noah. Noah pulls him into a hug and when they pull apart, they give each other a quick look, which must mean something between them. Then, Noah's dad enters through the door, leaving it open a little bit so we can hear the cues on when to enter.

When we hear Noah's cue, Noah pushes open the door and walks in. We wait for a while, which must be when they are saying vows together. Then, it is our time. We walk in and Annie and Jessica's sister, Amanda are walking in from the other side. Annie picks up the bowl of salt water from the table next to the door and stands behind them, holding the bowl out, but I don't think they even notice her presence. They each reach out to the bowl filled with salt water, tap their fingers into it, and then touch the other's lips with it.

Then, it is finished with a kiss and song that reminds us all of the sea voyage that is marriage. Everyone files out except for a select few that are attending the after party down by the sea. We brought one of the televisions into the cabana also so that we could watch the announcement of the Quarter Quell. It is mandatory viewing and we didn't plan on breaking up the party for the government.

We all walk down to the beach, still dressed in our suits and dresses, but we really don't mind. It is just sand. The decorations turned out wonderfully, which means I don't have to be worried about that anymore. Hopefully, I can have a little bit of rest before the next round of death starts.

We settle in just as the official announcement comes out. We missed the part about Katniss' wedding, but that is okay, no one is going to tell on us. It is just in time to hear President Snow give the legendary speech.

"That's right, this year will be the seventy fifth anniversary of the Hunger Games, and that means it's time for our third Quarter Quell! On the twenty fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that their children were dying because of their choice to initiate violence, every district was made to hold an election and vote on the tributes who would represent it," he announces. It would stink to know that your own neighbors voted for you to go into the arena, practically issuing your death. I don't know if I'd want to return home.

"On the fiftieth anniversary, as a reminder that two rebels died for each Capitol citizen, every district was required to send twice as many tributes. And now we honor our third Quarter Quell," he continues. The little boy dressed in white walks forward, holding out the box as Snow opens the lid and pulls out the card marked with 75. He opens the envelope and reads it to himself once, building the anticipation. What will he throw at us this year? His voice doesn't quaver as he reads:

"On the seventy fifth anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol, the male and female tributes will be reaped from their existing pool of victors."

I hear a plate shatter as it hits the crowd, breathing sharply cut off, and the nervous murmurs of a few. I can feel everyone's eyes on me and Annie next to me. I can't look at them right now. I can't talk and if I tried, it would just be a mess of sobbing and screaming. So, I do the only thing I can do. I run right into the sea. My suit gets soaking wet, my eyes sting with tears, and my hands are shaking, but I don't care.

I'm going back into the arena and I might never come back.


	41. Chapter 41

I let the waves roll freely around me, the water sinking in. I haven't cried so publicly in all my life. I don't tell myself to stop though, because I'm sure Johanna is doing the same thing in a forest of trees, Seeder in a field, and Katniss wherever she happens to go where no one can hear her screams or see her eyes flood with tears.

I can hear the party coming to a halt behind me, but I don't move. After a while, I'm sitting in the dark, just moments before laughter filled the air. It never comes to my mind that maybe I should get up and move on with life. Rationalizing doesn't do any good either.

I know they will have a reaping. There are lots of victors in 4, but my chances are more likely than theirs is. Mentally and physically I'm not too bad and people still love me in the Capitol. I know I can still work a trident, if I can get one. I'm not sure about the female tribute. I hope and pray that it isn't Annie. She wasn't the strongest to begin with and putting someone of her stability back in an arena would cause major issues.

I don't want to volunteer because I might lose her, but I also know that I will be expected to win. I try to think of something else, which fails, so I tell myself to think about why. Everyone knows that this wasn't planned seventy five years ago. It was probably written five minutes before and the old copy was burnt so no one would know.

I don't think it was because of me. In fact, I know it. Katniss and Peeta, they are the reasons this has happened. I don't blame them for it. I'm not that type of person. I just feel bad for Peeta. They obviously had different intentions and now Peeta is being dragged along into this mess because of Katniss.

It seems like hours later when I hear footsteps behind me and I see out of the corner of my eye that Daniel has sat next to me. He doesn't talk which is good. I'm not sure what I would say. IT would probably be a strange mixture of tears, screams, and normal conversation. After a while, when I seemed to have calmed myself down slightly, I turn to him.

"When I'm gone, can you do one thing for me?" I ask him. He nods, willing to do anything at this point.

"Start the rebellion here. Bigger than what is going on right now, with us not sending out product. I'm talking complete shutdown. I don't want us to be like 2 and go along with it," I tell him.

"Of course. Just one question, should I tell your family you are going to stay here or are you going to come back to civilization at any point?" He asks. I sigh. I want to stay here forever but that isn't realistic. Of course, a fourteen year old winning the games wasn't realistic. But, this is different. I'm older and stronger and if that means going back home and acting like nothing happened is what I need to do, that's what I will do.

"Yeah, let's go," I say. I get up, my wet clothes sticking to my body as I walk uncomfortably to my house. We separate and I walk down Victor's Village, looking at all the occupied houses knowing that soon two will be empty, prematurely. Our families will be kicked out too. I find my house, but I just don't have the will to push open the door and face my family. I cross around to the back of the house and open the door to the porch that has a roof over it.

I finally fall asleep in one of the chairs on the porch. My dreams are filled with the arena.

"Do you think I need to train? Get back in shape?" I ask Daniel. We are at the candy store; where I have taken over to both let Noah have some time with Jessica and to get my mind off things. I'm currently moving some of the tables back from the beach into the store.

"Are you kidding me? If you lost any part of Finnick before, they wouldn't still be shipping you over there every four months. You're fine, but moving some more of these boxes wouldn't hurt you," he says, sitting on one of the tables I've already gotten ready.

"Yeah, you should help, too. I don't even have to be here!" I say, dragging some more chairs in from the back room.

"I don't really think that too many people are happy about this. The Capitol people love you and if, you know, something _happens_ would be devastating for them," he explains. He gets up and brings the chairs over to an empty table.

"Okay, let's say something doesn't happen. Then what?"

"You lead the rebellion and become a Hunger Games all-star."

"You really think the rebellion is going to happen?"

"If is not the question at this point. It is a fact. It's happening. Now."

**Please review! Next chapter is going to be mainly Finnick/Annie. What do you guys think of the rumored Finnick, Sam Claflin? He seems good as far as the action goes because he was in Pirates of the Carribean, but Finnick is so much more than that! But for now, it is just a rumor. Oh, and we have a Wiress, who I think is perfect! **


	42. Chapter 42

I decide to dedicate the entire day before the reaping to Annie. I'm not sure I'll ever see her again and if I do, everything will be different. I'm praying that she doesn't come in the arena with me. It would be better for her to stay here. I would like to stay too, but that would be unfair. I have better chances than anybody.

I head over to Annie's house kind of late in the day, around eleven o'clock. I know she wakes up earlier than that because she can't sleep through the night. Sometimes she takes sleep aids. I used to take them, but I hated them. I think she does too.

I let myself in and head upstairs to Annie's room. Nobody's going to care and I don't actually think anyone else is here right now. I find her setting on her bed with her hair brush, but she isn't brushing her hair.

"Hey," I say, sitting next to her. I wrap my arms around her and she leans into me, resting her head on my shoulder.

"You're leaving, right?" She asks, but she says it as more of statement. I'm so shocked that I don't say anything for a while and I don't even know what to say.

"Don't lie," she whispers again.

"Yeah." She looks up at me, her eyes as blue as the ocean.

"Are you coming back?" Her hand reaches up and finds itself on my chin. I probably look like a wreck. I haven't shaved in weeks. I want to say yes, but I remember what she said about lying.

"Maybe, but let's forget about that. You want to go down to the beach?" I ask her. She nods. I take her hand and help her off the bed. We walk down the stairs and then take the shortcut through the backyard of some other houses in Victor's Village to get to the main beach. We just walk for a while, until we come to the fence that locks us in. I can hear the hum of electricity.

I lead Annie over to one of the palm trees and we sit down.

"It's hard to forget," she says, before staring blankly out into the ocean. I just sit, watching her hair blow in the wind and the way that she twists her fingers. She laughs randomly, splitting up the silence. I don't know why, but I don't really care. Her laugh has a nice ring to it. It sounds like a fairy might.

Even though the day consists of pretty much nothing, it is one of my favorite days. I spend the entire day at the beach with Annie. When it gets darker, I make a fire and cook up some fish that I caught in the ocean. I've learned how to catch with my hands.

After we are finished eating, we stay there for a little while. Annie turns her head toward me and then slowly moves forward, pressing her lips against mine. She leans back and gives me a small smile, one that reminds me of all she's been through.

"Good?" She asks. I smile.

"Amazing." And that's when I realize that I'm absolutely one hundred percent in love with her. Not the fake kind that I'm told to be in during my stays at the capitol. Not the love when you first meet someone. The real love when you want to spend the rest of your life with someone.

"I love you." I tell her.

"I love you too." She says. I wrap her in my arms again, give her one more small kiss, and we watch the sun go down over the ocean. I take her home when the sun is almost set, right before curfew. I give her one last hug before she leaves. It might be the last.

Then, I run across the street just as the head peacekeeper walks down the street, tapping his baton in his left hand, willing to use it on anyone who is still daring enough to refuse the law. I might have stayed out just long enough to get a warning, but I duck inside instead. I'm not ready right now to stand up because I know that when I do, it has to set the world on fire. And District 4 is not the place for fire.

He walks down the beach, slowly, still tapping the baton against his hand. When he gets to the fence, he notices something slightly different. He walks over to the pile of ashes and fish bones. Just to the left is something someone must have written in the sand with their toe. He crouches down to look. It is a heart and in the middle is the letters F and A. Finnick and Annie. He looks around to see if anyone is watching before he rubs the heart away with his boot. Behind him, a bird flies into the fence and lands on the sand. Dead.

He walks back going through his route, stopping at the front of the Odair house. Looking up, he can tell Finnick is fast asleep. _That's good. Let the boy have a final full night of sleep before the big day. _Then, he remembers who he is. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and begins a message to Plutarch, the new head gamemaker.

"Finnick and Annie. It's real. I saw." He types with his thumb. He reads the message one more time, considering sending it. Eventually, he hits the cancel button and the message is deleted forever. _He'll be dead anyway. _He walks back down the street and enters his own empty home.

**Hey! I'm so happy with the castings of Johanna and Mags. They are both so perfect and I'm really excited to write about Mags knowing what she is going to look like on the movie screen. Hopefully you liked this chapter and if you did (or not) please review! I thought I'd try something new with the end, just for fun. I've wanted to write more about capitol people and that was my attempt. Well, that's about it and remember to review because they make my day!**


	43. Chapter 43

It is the day of the reaping. I don't really want to talk to anyone that I don't have to because I feel like I will just break down. I get dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and polo, grab a banana from the kitchen counter, and head out the door before the streets become populated.

I sneak into the government center and head to where I'm sure Tabia will be getting her makeup ready. I open the door a crack, and peek my head in.

"Can I come in?" I ask Tabia. She snaps the lid of one of her, I think, blushes shut and waves her hand. I enter and take a seat across the room.

"Excited? This is your first quarter quell!" She says, digging through a huge box of what looks to be tubes of mascara.

"No, Tabia, I'm not," I sigh. I peel the banana and take a bite.

"I always got the feeling you weren't one of the biggest supporters of the games. But like it or not, they happen. We should just go with it," she tries to persuade me. I just shake my head.

"Don't you understand? These kids are innocent and people watch their deaths for fun. You knew them. I knew them. It hurts. You are stronger than me if you can still see it as fun."

She finally decides on one.

"I don't think the people in the Capitol like it either. They are very upset they are going to kill the lovers of 12, or Cashmere, or you. You're one of us. Plus, we are running out of stuff quickly and some don't think this is going to help. But, strangely, they've all disappeared," she tells me.

They've all disappeared? That seems odd.

"What do you mean, they've disappeared?" I ask her.

"All I know is that one day they are being the annoying apartment next door and the next I see some Avoxes putting boxes of their stuff into their truck," she shrugs.

"Now, don't talk. I might harm myself." She commands me and I finish my breakfast and head out to check in to the reaping.

I walk into the town square and get in the line of fellow victors waiting to get checked in. It's been a long time since I had to do this. The line moves quickly. I get to the front of the line, show them my pointer finger and they draw some blood. They press my finger against that paper and I see my name flash up on their little machine.

I get in the reaping square, which looks oddly empty compared to the numbers of people that normally occupy this space. This year, they are on the other side of the rope, probably thanking us for letting them have one more year left of their lives.

Tabia and the mayor come up on the stage. The mentor's seat remains empty because this year, the mentor will be decided after the reaping. For districts with no more victors available, the mayor will fill this position. I think the only one that has that problem is District 5.

The mayor gets up and starts his speech and the propaganda film plays. Then, Tabia gets up.

"Ladies first!" She walks over to the bowl of very few names and all I can think is _don't be Annie. Don't be Annie._

"Annie Cresta!" I look over as Mags emerges from the crowd of female victors, shouting.

"I volunteer!" She walks up on stage with the help of a Peacekeeper and stands on stage. I know why she did it. To save Annie. Annie wouldn't make it. She would go crazy before someone would kill her.

"Okay, now for the men!" She walks over to the other side and ducks her hand in the bowl. I prepare myself, making sure my shirt is tucked in and that I'm ready.

"Joseph Dias!" She shouts. Joseph is an around forty year old victor that won his games by using a sword and his amazing skill in strategy.

"I volunteer!" I say, pushing myself through the crowd of men. I see eyes snap towards me and a couple of cameras. I walk up the stairs willingly and look into the crowd of people, who I will never see again.

**Sorry for not updating in a while! School has started back up and teachers like to plan all their tests in a three day period, so I've been studying so much and I've just been so busy! By the way, I updated the picture for this story because Sam Clafin has been cast! I wasn't so sure at first, but I really like him after seeing the pictures from set. He looks exactly like Finnick. What do you think? **

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	44. Chapter 44

I step up onto the podium. I don't really want to look up from my feet because the moment I do, I will find someone that I don't want to lose, and break into tears. Tabia knows me and doesn't ask for anything. She just simply walks over and pulls a name out of the bowl.

"Annie Cresta!" My head jerks up at that because, I, I won't kill her. I won't let someone else kill her either. I hear a faint cry from the very back of the group of people. Mags emerges from the crowd and some Peacekeepers help her walk up the stairs.

"Okay, shake hands," Tabia instructs us. I shake hands with Mags and I do look at her. I know that she knows that she has no chance. That means she did this for two reasons: to help the rebellion or to save Annie, and with saving Annie, me. She looks at me like a grandmother. I didn't know my grandmother, but Mags could be mine.

I walk off the stage and am lead into the back of the government building. I find the room where I will have my meetings with my family and friends for the last time. My mother and father are first.

"You'll do fine. You got out once, you helped some others too, and we all know you can do it again," my father says first. I know he believes it, not just saying it to help me. My mom sees what I'm trying to do though. She has realized what is going on and just keeps to herself, fighting off tears and pulling on her sweater.

"I'll try. But if anything happens, just know that I love both of you and that everything happens for a reason," I promise them. They are taken away by a peacekeeper and Annie comes in. I wrap her in my arms, as she sniffles.

"I love you," I tell her, pulling her in closer, breathing in her scent that smells like soap and the ocean.

"I love you too," she whispers in between sobs. Our moment lasts all too quickly. I give her one last kiss.

"Be strong!" I shout as she leaves and she whips her head around to look at me. The door slams shut behind her. Next, Daniel and Noah come in.

"You can win. We know you can. Never stopped believing from the first time," Daniel says first. I think he'd been planning it out in his head because he knows me and this is something I would do.

"I look forward to seeing you again. And…" Noah finishes his sentence, implying the things that hang in the air. I die.

"One thing though," I ask them. They both nod because they would do anything for me at this point.

"I don't care what you have to do, but get Snow out. No more Hunger Games. If you can't do it for me, do it for your kids and their kids. This can't go on and we are so close, closer than ever. Lead them here. I'll lead them from away. But, I can't do it alone. You both have the tools to do it. So, just do it." I tell them and the Peacekeeper opens the door for them to leave. They quickly nod and leave. I know that they are going to do it. Those might have been my last words to them. No one should take their last words for granted.

After that, I am told I have one more visitor. I don't know who else it would be, but when she walks in I can tell. It must be Rosie's mother. She has the same blonde curls, naturally rosy cheeks, and is dressed in a floral dress with a pair of white sandals.

"I know that you are going to do everything to get out, just like you did for… Rosie. I just wanted to let you know, from behalf of the entire population of 4, that we all believe in you. You've done so much for us. Enjoy," she explains, passing me a wicker basket filled to the brim with something that must have been collected from every shopkeeper. From just the top of the basket, I notice things that couldn't have been cheap. Oranges, candy, rope, and some seaweed bread have filled the basket and I see more at the bottom.

"Thanks. I couldn't have done it without your and their support. I know it must be hard for you to do this to me, I could've saved her," I say, my voice dropping off at the last part. It embarrasses me.

"No. She died for a reason. It was a catapult. It's been going on now for a while and she started it. Katniss pushed it over the edge. Everything happens for a reason. I don't blame anyone except the horrid Snow. Sorry. I shouldn't have. Just, win, I guess, and um, thanks," She says stumbling out of the room as the Peacekeeper holds the door open. He winks at me, which I guess means he isn't going to say anything about our conversation.

I grab the basket and head out of the government building, onto the train platform, and onto the train. I stare out the window as long as I can waving to people as we speed off westward. Then, I just look at the ocean. It feels the same way it did the first time, like a rollercoaster. But, I don't know if I'm ever going to get off.

**I'm so sorry about the long wait for this chapter! I've been really busy with school stuff and all the homework this year is just terrifying. Please review!**


	45. Chapter 45

When we arrive in the Capitol, I already have people gushing over me. Getting off the train and seeing the reaction was unbelievable. I've been out of public eye for a while, so I wasn't expecting this much. I walk past a bunch of people screaming my name and reaching for me past the ropes. I wave to a couple of them and keep walking. This is flattering but I don't really want all this attention.

We make our way to the apartment buildings that hold the tributes and their mentors until it is time for us to enter the arena. I press the button to 4 when I enter the elevator out of habit. No one yells at me for it though.

I'm not really that shocked when I enter like most first time tributes are because I've seen it all before. But, I still am confused. What am I supposed to do now? If I went to my room, I would just ball up in tears. If I stayed here, it would just be awkward. I decide to accept the awkwardness and take a seat on the couch in the main room. I flip the television to a station that is covering all the tributes leaving the train. After me, there aren't that many crazy fans. I see Johanna get off and notice she put red streaks in her hair. She must have done that for the games. She is a rebel at heart.

I haven't seen much of who was reaped. I expected Johanna to volunteer because she is just that crazy. I feel bad when I see Cecelia get off. I don't want to watch her get reaped. It must've been hard, with all her little kids. They probably don't even understand that their mom won't come back, even worse if they see her death. This is mandatory viewing. Everyone has to watch the all-star games.

All the chanting comes back when the star-crossed lovers of District 12 get off the train. Katniss and Peeta, not a surprise at all. It must be horrible for them to get out of the arena, think they are done, and then have to go right back in. Getting out once is hard enough, twice even harder, and trying to get two people through it all? The chances are close to impossible.

After they leave, it goes to some interview with the new head gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee. The phone rings, which is odd because I just thought it was for direction. I look around and no one else seems to notice. I pick the phone up.

"Hello?" I ask.

"Hello, Finnick. This is Haymitch," Haymitch says from the other end. His words aren't slurred, which means he is probably sober. That's good. I can trust what he is saying now.

"Are you alone? If not, I may suggest bringing this into another room," he tells me. I pick the base of the cord phone up and make my way into the room marked for the tribute boy.

"You do realize that phone calls are monitored, right?" I ask him. He sounds like we are about to get into some serious stuff.

"I got Beetee on that. Didn't you notice the number was from 3?" He asks. I look down and sure enough, the dial is set on 3. Then, he continues.

"I'm just going to cut straight to the point here. How would you like to be in a rebellion?" He asks, straightforward.

"Yeah, of course," I tell him.

"Good. Your job for now is to make an impression on Katniss and Peeta. We want them to ally with you, so you can protect them in the arena. We have to get them out alive to keep this going. I know this is a lot, but we can do it this time. We won't lose. We have inside sources, ten districts ready to fight, and the Capitol citizens are sadden by all their favorites dying. Are you in?" He asks. He says it all very quickly like we are running out of time.

"Sure, yeah. See you later?"

"See ya, Finnick." He hangs up the phone and I do too. I carry it back into the main room and put it back on the table.

"Lunch is here!" My mentor, Joseph, the guy I volunteered for, tells me. I walk over, grab a piece of chicken and some sweet potatoes fries and start eating. No one talks much. After lunch, it is time to meet with our stylists.

Mags and I get in the elevator, which this time is automated to take us to the prep room. It feels weird going back down here again. It smells like a mixture of paint, hair spray, and flowery perfumes. Annie smells like flowery perfumes. It hits for the first time how much I miss her. I just want to run back upstairs and call up train to take me back. Hit the rewind button. Let Joseph go in. But, I can't. So I keep walking.

The same prep team I've always had starts work on me. They don't need to do too much because of all the stuff I do for the Capitol, which someone is always working on me for. Then my new stylist, Tuesday, comes in and tells me about my outfit. I have to say, it is a little above and beyond the normal standard. I think it's because everyone is trying to beat out Cinna. I guess I'm okay with my costume for the tribute parade. But, when I see it, I start rethinking that idea.

**Yay new chapter! I love Finnick! Okay so this announcement may seem kind of early but I really want to get to work on it and give you guys time to vote! So, I'm going to be doing a Christmas miniseries. It will be around 4-5 chapters all published around November/December as like my gift to all of my wonderful readers. This is going to be a separate mini-series, not necessarily Christmas related. I've came up with four different ideas, and you will vote! This is also a poll on my author page, but you can just leave it in your review if you want. You can pick from:**

**The Life and Story of Delly (her childhood with Peeta, reaction to his reaping, Mockingjay, post Mockingjay)**

**A rewriting of the first five chapters of Life and Story of Johanna (this was my first Fanfiction POV, so I'll just rewrite them and update to the original story, but keep the original first five up)**

**Post-Mockingjay Christmas series (with Finnick though! This will just be what their Christmas is like)**

**A Guide To Being a Gamemaker (like a manual/training guide for new gamemakers from either Plutarch/Seneca)**

**So, let me know! Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!**


	46. Chapter 46

**Sugar cube time!**

Well, I guess I should be okay with it if that is what the Capitol wants to me to wear. Let's just say it – I'm practically naked. Yep, the stylist brings out a gold fishnet. That's it. It fits kind of like a dress, for men, that has huge holes it everywhere. Okay, Finnick, let's try and get yourself more covered up.

"So, this is an epic costume, but don't you think it would look better with, I don't know, pants? Like maybe blue ones that look like fish, so it's like fish in a net! That's original!" I plead with her. She sighs, which I think is a good sign, but shakes her head. I sigh this time, sliding it over my head. They knot it pretty strategically so I'm not actually naked, but it still feels weird. I grab a robe so that I have to deal with it for as long as until the parade.

After that, they just put a little bit of makeup on me. Just some stuff to make my face look shiner under all the lights, they say. Then, it is time to walk out to the stables.

Of course, I find my way to the pack of previous victors. Johanna, Cecelia, the District 6 girl that just kind of floats around, and Mags are gathered around a bunch of hay bales far away from the doors. I see this year's career pack which consists of Cashmere and Gloss from 1 and Brutus and Enobaria from 2. I knew they would volunteer. They are each crazy enough to want to go back and are what some people would consider as the most threatening careers, the "all stars." They don't even approach me, even though I'm from a career district. They know my answer, and they certainly wouldn't want to carry Mags around with them. They are limber and ready for action, even in their 20s and 30s. Careers for life.

Everyone already has their little friendships we've made from the mentoring each year. Johanna is telling a story about something in 7, and I glance over to Katniss. She is just kind of standing there awkwardly, petting a horse. She must feel awkward, all of us knowing each together, surely she isn't that good with Peeta, seeing as he hasn't arrived, and she knows that if each of us can get out alive once, we can do it again. Plus, she doesn't seem to be that social. I excuse myself and head over. I grab a couple of sugar cubes out of the bucket hanging by one of the horses marked with 9.

I pop one in my mouth and start crunching. Her head snaps to me, making eye connection for a brief moment. I pop another one in and lean against the horse.

"Hello, Katniss," I say, normally. I don't feel like I know her, just what she was in the games. People are very different when pitted against others for the death and out of that.

"Hello, Finnick," she replies, uncomfortably. Now, how should I be? I think normal Capitol people perception of me would work best. Don't want to go all over exuberant on our first meeting. Plus, she's so pure. It'll be fun to play with that.

"Want a sugar cube? They're supposed to be for the horses, but who cares? They've got years to eat sugar, whereas you and I…well, if we see something sweet, we better grab it quick." I offer my hand, filled with the sugar cubes to her.

"No, thanks. I'd love to borrow your outfit sometime, though." There's the Katniss attitude that made her famous. Best part is that she doesn't even know it.

"You're absolutely terrifying me in that getup. What happened to the pretty little girl dresses?" I ask. I wet my lips with my tongue because they taste kind of weird with all the stuff they put on it.

"I outgrew them." Another classic answer, and one I was expecting.

"It's too bad about this Quell thing. You could have made out like a bandit in the Capitol. Jewels, money, anything you wanted," I say, feeling the material her collar is made of. Thankfully, I don't think it can catch fire. Fire and water don't mix so well.

"I don't like jewels, and I have more money than I need. What do you spend all yours on, anyway, Finnick?" She asks.

"Oh, I haven't dealt in anything as common as money for years," I tell her.

"Then how do they pay you for the pleasure of your company?" She asks, this time actually wanting know, not just making conversation.

"With secrets. What about you, girl on fire? Do you have any secrets worth my time?" I whisper, leaning my head toward her's. She blushes, which I don't expect but I'm finding more and more about her as the minutes go by.

"No, I'm an open book. Everybody seems to know my secrets before I know them myself," she whispers. I think she knows them though, she just won't accept them. Or maybe, she really doesn't. I don't think she's a very self-accepting person.

"Unfortunately, I think that's true. Peeta is coming. Sorry you have to cancel your wedding. I know how devastating that must be for you," I smile and walk away, back to Johanna.

As soon as I get back, they all crack up in laughter. I could tell they were watching the entire spectacle.

"Bringing out that card this year Finnick?" Cecelia asks jokingingly.

"Well, when you're dressed like this, it's kind of hard to not to." Johanna nudges me and gives me a look that reads _Just wait until I get to Katniss. _The alarm sounds that it's time to get onto the chariots.

I board mine, fourth one from the beginning. It doesn't take long for it to pull out, which is good because I just want to get this part over with.

**Yay! Sugar cubes! That was just way to fun to write. I read that part again in Catching Fire and I just love him so much after reading it multiple times. Another thing that I thought was really cool was that now I can see Jennifer Lawrence and Sam Clafin saying those lines, and farther on Jena Malone saying those words of Johanna. It's going to be too long of a wait! Remember, read and review. Also, my poll is closing in a week (November 9****th****) so go vote if you haven't!**


	47. Chapter 47

It's the first day of training and I'm eager to find out what Johanna did to terrify Katniss this time. I'm appalled by it but it seemed to work. Then, she runs off to find something to do, leaving me alone. I look around the training center and find a lonely Katniss cursing under her breath at a very simple knot for someone like me. I walk over and wrap my arms around her, finishing the knot. I walk over and grab a length of rope, makes a noose, and pretend to hang myself. Funny, right? She doesn't seem to think so. She gets up and starts making a fire. I head off, having mastered this by the time I was seven and walk to the archery station.

I'm not amazing, at all. I picked up a bit from what I've seen people do. I get it after a while. Johanna walks up behind me.

"Nuts and Volts seem to have an interest in Fire Girl. Great combo," she says walking by. I look over to see them starting fires. At lunch, I sit with Mags, Johanna, Cecilia, and the rest of the Careers find their way over. By the end, we are all sitting together except for Katniss and Peeta who seem okay with their party of two at the end of the cafeteria. I would go over, but that would be weird. Don't want to scare them prematurely.

When we go back in, I can tell Katniss is trying to be more social. It's more awkward than anything. She hangs with Cashmere and Gloss, the more tolerable of the Careers. When I see her at the fishing, I decide that now would be a nice time for her to meet Mags.

"Hello, Katniss. This is Mags winner of the 9th Hunger Games. Mags, this is Katniss, one of last year's winners." I introduce them to each other and they both mumble a hello. Mags sits down to continue teaching Katniss the art of the fishing hook. I head off, not much help there. I end up mostly wandering, taking on some of the things I was mostly scared to try the first time around having been excepted to be a Career. I learn how to make fires, set snares, and camouflage.

I turn around after working with spears and find Katniss at the archery station. I start watching and remarkably she doesn't miss any. Even the smallest marks she makes without trouble. The bow seems like a natural extension of her arm and she draws her arrows like a reflex. It's awesome. It's epic. It's dangerous. I'm putting my formal request to partner with her as soon as I leave this place. She turns around after noticing every one of us staring at her in awe and envy and hatred and fear. She just blushes and puts the bow down.

I find Johanna right after, seeing as she's fuming.

"What was that?" She asks, slamming her ax onto the bar that holds them instead of actually putting it away. She splits the wood in the progress.

"I know, cool right?"

"That's not what I mean. She's…. amazing and I don't have time for that." She says as the bell rings for us to leave.

"Just don't be stupid about it." I tell her.

"I bet she'll pick me over you!" She says, poking my arm.

"Yeah, right!" I head the other way as she does. I head upstairs and immediately send in a request to align with Katniss.

The next day, everyone seems to be smiling up to her. I have to admit, I do too. I give her an hour of trident lessons, which she isn't too bad at, in exchange for an hour of archery lessons, which don't go too well. I've noticed that station has cleared out so not to take on Katniss. I wouldn't want to either alone.

I do the normal for getting my training score, some trident throwing. I make sure to smile a lot too and end up with a 10, not too bad. But the arena draws nearer and nearer.

**Sorry this is kind of short but I have a cut on my finger that really hurts when I type (not to be whiny but it hurts!) and I had this chapter planned as a filler anyway (who's excited for the games? Me!), so I decided to go ahead and right it. If you celebrated Thanksgiving this week, then I hope you had a very happy one! I'm thankful for all of my readers!**


	48. Chapter 48

Interview time. They dress me in a sea blue suit that might seem tacky if I wasn't comparing myself to Claudius. They don't really need to work with me that much considering I'm already a fan favorite and I have my personality already set up for me.

They send me backstage, where once we line up everyone is talking about what has been going on in their districts and personal lives and everything but the looming games. We don't stop once Gloss leaves either. Before I know it, it is my turn and I walk out with a mixed crowd. Some people are crying while others are clapping and cheering. I smile at them and they all clap even harder. This is looking good as I take my seat.

"Hello, Finnick!" He announces me.

"Hello!" I respond, shaking his hand.

"I've heard you have prepared a little something for us," he leads into what I've been planning to do. If the people know me for love, I should give it to them. It's been agreed that this would be the best way for me to go again. However, I don't want to lie about Annie. And so, I will go with that and do everything for Annie but without the names. It seems perfect.

"Yes, I have. I've written a poem I would like to read:

I know you're going crazy,

I've been there too.

I can see how the weight is making your knees bend,

Let me take some of it from you.

Don't keep yourself closed off,

I am here for you to open up and let go.

There is so much you can't forget or forgive,

Let me help you cope, we can work things out together.

I hear the pain in your voice,

You need me now.

Don't worry, I'll move heaven and hell to get there.

You can't talk, you won't talk about it,

I understand.

Put your worries in my hands.

Lay your head down,

And believe that I will do anything to stop your tears.

You're ready to give up, you've stopped,

I want to be able to give you the strength to keep going.

Link arms with me, Let's move on,

As one living, breathing, loving, being.

Know that you can put faith in me.

I will be your rock, I will be your dwelling,

I am here with you, for you always."

As I gaze around the audience, people are dropping left and right. I don't even know what happened; I guess they all thought it was about them. I almost wanted to break out in laughter but that would ruin the moment. Let them think it was about them. If it will save my butt and help get this rebellion on its way, then go ahead. Attach your name to it. I won't deny it but I won't agree either.

As I finish, Claudius wipes away a tear at the corner of his eye. The buzzer rings and I'm done. I walk down and take a seat, watching all the other interviews. They all talk about the injustice done to them especially since we don't have to introduce ourselves and explain who we are.

Peeta makes a big announcement that Katniss is pregnant, which causes more people to faint. I'm really concerned about this audience tonight. I'm not totally sure if I believe it. I just don't see that happening that quickly unless they were trying to survive. It could be a lie. I'll have to pay more attention. Of course, we all know Katniss can't lie. I look over for her reaction, but I seem to have missed it. Surely, Johanna or the cameras caught it. I'll have to ask them later.

When we finish, a thing starts to form. Everyone joins hands starting at the back. I decide not to wait for it to get her so I grab Mags and Wiress' hands. Even the Careers join in; I guess not wanting to seem awkward. Plus, I doubt that they are really all that cheery about possibly dying again. I learned one thing about Careers: they seem hard on the outside and the inside, except sometimes they have moments of doubt. And when they doubt, you should fear them because they hate doubt.

We all leave the stage and break up after a while of talking. I head upstairs and get ready for bed, looking out on the crowds of people, very upset about what is happening to them and to us; to everyone.

**Please review and thanks for reading!**


	49. Chapter 49

The first thought I have when I am raised up into the arena is _Finnick Odair has arrived. This is your zone. _But then I look over to Katniss and think the exact opposite. I'm pretty sure the Capitol planned this as yet another threat to her. Water and fire do not mix. I look down at the gold bracelet Haymitch gave me. Hopefully this will be enough to make Katniss my ally that is if she figures out how to swim.

I jump off into the water when the countdown is over and begin swimming. I'm over quickly to the island, pulling myself up in only a few easy strokes. Katniss comes up too, so she must know how to swim. She underestimates herself. I pull a trident and a net from the huge pile of stuff at the Cornucopia, this time not worried about people coming up behind me. I know what I'm doing and I'm first. It will still give me a head start as some people struggle. Katniss points her bow at me. I smile but I'm ready to kill or defend if needed. I clutch onto my trident harder.

"You can swim, too. Where did you learn that is District Twelve?" I ask, delaying the moment.

"We have a big bathtub," she replies. I want to laugh, but that would be weird. She must not want anyone to know.

"You must. You like the arena?" I ask again, without really a purpose. I wonder what the Capitol people think.

"Not particularly. But you should. They must have built it especially for you," she says bitterly. I size her up. I don't think she's ready to kill me yet, but she could if she needed to.

"Lucky thing we're allies. Right?" I ask her, grinning. I move my wrist, letting the bangle shine. Trust me, I hope she figures out. It's too early for me to die. Please let her figure it out!

"Right!" She agrees and I sigh to myself.

"Duck!" I shout to her. I hurl my trident over her head and it hits the man from District 5. I walk over and pull it out.

"Don't trust One and Two," Finnick tells me as he comes back over.

"Each take one side?" She offers. I nod and she goes to the other side. I see Enobaria out of the corner of my eye. No one else is coming.

"Anything useful?" I ask her. There is a pause, I assume she is looking at the pile and not dead.

"Weapons! Nothing but weapons!" She shouts back to me.

"Same here. Grab what you want and let's go!" I tell her. She shouts but misses and shoots another at Gloss, hitting him in the thigh, pretty brutal for having to walk. I grab a couple things and meet up with Katniss back at the front.

"Do something about that, would you?" I say, meaning Brutus. She shoots at his belt shield at he falls releasing a purple liquid. Other people have gotten here, I can hear.

"Let's clear out," she says. But when she sees Peeta still not having left his plate, she runs toward him. She can't risk herself like that. I put a hand on her shoulder as she starts drawing knives.

"I'll get him," I promise.

"I can."

"Better not exert yourself. Not in your condition," I say patting her abdomen. I'm trying to help her and she doesn't seem to figure that out.

"Cover me," I ask her and dive into the water. I'm back in my element. I swim quickly across the water and notice Mags still on her base. She jumps off and paddles toward shore. I reach up for Peeta and he lowers himself into the water after a glance at Katniss, keeping her bow ready to shoot. I keep one arm across his chest while using the other to bring us back to safety without resist. Katniss helps me bring him ashore and I come out myself.

"Hello, again. We've got allies," Peeta says greeting her with a kiss.

"Yes. Just as Haymitch intended," Katniss responds. I had a feeling they weren't going to ally with any one any other way.

"Remind me, did we make deals with anyone else?" Peeta asks.

"Only Mags, I think," Katniss says. Mags is still slowly swimming.

"Well, I can't leave Mags behind. She's one of the few people who actually likes me," I let them know.

"I've got no problem with Mags, especially now that I see the arena. Her fishhooks are probably our best chance of getting a meal," Katniss tells me. Peeta won't argue it and I consider it done. Mags may not be the most fit ally but she does have a lot to offer. A nagging voice in my head tells me that she will die here, but I push it away.

"Katniss wanted her on the first day," Peeta adds in.

"Katniss has remarkably good judgment," I say, helping Mags out of the water. I spot Johanna a couple spokes away as I also notice Katniss looking at Beetee failing to keep himself afloat.

"Look, she's right. Someone figured it out," I assure her. It doesn't seem to work. We have to move and I'm not going to get them.

"The belts. They're floatation devices. I mean, you have to propel yourself, but they'll keep you from drowning," I try again. She seems to give up on the idea. Katniss distributes weapons to Peeta and Mags. I carry her as we run away. I stop for a moment, catching Johanna's eye. She is about ready to flee too, the other way. I jerk my head to Beetee. She rolls her eyes.

_You're going to have to prove youself. _I mouth and she gets the point, jumping in the water to help them. I hope she will be okay. Hopefully we will meet up again. We have too.


	50. Chapter 50

**Yay, fifty chapters!**

I watch as Katniss climbs up a nearby tree during our walk and surveys who died. From her expression, she seems sadden by the amount of people who died. It must be lot. No one in here is timid and afraid. I see her glance at me and then her bow. She's going to shoot me. But, she won't. Without me, no one else has developed a real connection, she'd be left with Mags, and this makes her look good. As she drops from the tree, I pick up my trident and aim it at her, slightly held back. She knows what it is supposed to mean though.

"What's going on down there, Katniss? Have they all joined hands? Taken a vow of nonviolence? Tossed the weapons in the sea in defiance of the Capitol?" I ask her. I realize that sounds kind of mean, but she really shouldn't be not performing her best. She's supposed to live.

"No," she simply replies.

"No because whatever happened in the past is the past. And no one in this arena was a victor by chance, except maybe Peeta," I tell her strongly, looking at Peeta. It's better if she hears it now. He's the weakest and while I would love to save him, he has to do it first. Plus, if he had the option, he would put himself in front of Katniss. He acts too slowly and too compassionate. He wouldn't kill anyone.

I keep my gaze held on her, watching her decide if it's worth killing me. I could get to her first, I know that for sure. If she fires, my only hope is to dodge but seeing her aim that wouldn't work. I would need to go first but that would defy my mission here. Thankfully, Peeta comes around, breaking the intense and slightly awkward situation. We are supposed to be allies.

"So how many are dead?" He asks. I want to laugh at the randomness but I don't. I don't drop hold either. He's between us too, so he knows what he is doing.

"Hard to say. At least six, I think. And they're still fighting," she answers him.

"Let's keep moving. We need water," he tells us.

"Better find some soon. We need to be undercover when the others come hunting us tonight," I remind them. I drop my trident after she does. I'm not going to die today.

"Maybe we'll have better luck on the other side. Find a spring or something," Katniss suggests after a long walk to a hill with no water. Peeta keeps chopping away the vines and a zap fills the air. I turn around from trying to survey the area to find the area clearing, wiping away everything, knocking Peeta into me and Mags. I push myself up and help Mags up too. I think I'm good, but Peeta doesn't. He's lying in a web of fines, with hair slightly burnt and from the way Katniss looks at him, he's dead. But where's the cannon?

"Peeta! Peeta!" She screams, shaking him. I motion towards a tree for Mags and then push Katniss back with my arm as I step near Peeta. He must still have something left because we haven't heard a cannon and I think I can help.

"Let me," I tell her. I feel his ribs and spine and then pinch his nostrils shut.

"No!" Katniss screams, throwing herself at me. I push her back and she returns back into a tree. She points an arrow at me, I can feel that without even turning around. And then, I start performing CPR, which to probably everyone else looks like I'm kissing him. Can't wait to see what the Capitol says about that. I keep his mouth tilted open, and blow. I unzip Peeta's jumpsuit top and pump over his heart with the heels of my hands.

Katniss lowers her bow as I do what I've done more times than I would like to admit. I'm done when Peeta coughs and I sit back, giving him some room.

"Peeta?" Katniss says, coming closer.

"Careful. There's a force field up ahead," he says tiredly. At least he's back to normal though thanks to me. Yep, I'm not getting killed now, at least by Katniss or Peeta.

"Must be a lot stronger than the one on the Training Center roof. I'm all right, though. Just a little shaken," he explains.

"You were dead! Your heart stopped!" Katniss bursts again, sobbing now.

"Well, it seems to be working now. It's all right, Katniss. Katniss?" Aw, concerning Peeta.

"It's okay. It's just her hormones. From the baby," I explain.

"No. It's not-" She tries, before realizing that she is supposed to go along with this. She keeps crying and laughing. She glares at me even though I helped her. She's certainly complicated. I try figuring it out, but I give up. I don't want to think too hard right now.

"How are you? Do you think you can move on?" I ask Peeta, changing the odd topic.

"No, he has to rest," Katniss says for him. Mags hands her some moss to wipe her face off with. They start talking about the Mockingjay as I save some more moss for later, in case this happens again.

"So you want to make camp here, then?" I ask.

"I don't think that's an option. Staying here. With no water. No protection. I feel all right, really. If we could just go slowly," Peeta says. That sounds better.

"Slowly would be better than not at all," I say, helping Peeta up.

"I'll take the lead," Katniss offers once composing herself.

"No, let her do it. You knew that force field was there, didn't you? Right at the last second? You started to give a warning. How did you know?" I ask Katniss, cutting off Peeta too. I want to see her response. How much is she still here?


	51. Chapter 51

"I don't know. It's almost as if I could hear it. Listen," she says, coming up with something really fast. She's still good and I don't think she's gone crazy yet. I try to listen but all I hear are the mixture of insects and birds.

"I don't hear anything," Peeta says what we all are thinking.

"Yes, it's like when the fence around District Twelve is on, only much, much quitter. There! Can't you hear it? It's coming from right where Peeta got shocked," she makes up. I don't know what the fence sounds like but it must not be on a lot. Four's is always on since it lets us into the ocean and the world.

"I don't hear it, either. But if you do, by all means, take the lead," I say, ending the conversation which has gone on much farther than I planned.

"That's weird. I can only hear it out of my left ear," she starts up again. Why is she starting this again? She must be having fun with doing something no one else can even though it is fake. She turns her head side to side.

"The one the doctors reconstructed?" Peeta asks. I don't know what he knows about this though.

"Yeah. Maybe they did a better job than they though. You know, sometimes I do hear funny things on that side. Things you wouldn't ordinarily think have a sound. Like insect wings. Or snow hitting the ground," she says, taking all the attention away from her. The next big craze in the Capitol will probably be fake ears. This is great!

"You," Mags says nudging me forward, so I take the lead. I pick up a branch for Mags to use as a cane which she normally uses in 4. I drop to the back to hold us up in case we get attacked from behind. Katniss throws nuts to make sure we don't hit the force field, which totally contradicts what she said before, but no one brings that up. Mags is eating them after they fall to the ground, burnt.

"Mags! Spit that out. It could be poisonous," Katniss tells her. She mumbles something that I don't even hear, her mouth full of food makes it worth. Katniss looks at me, like I know what is going on. I laugh.

"I guess we'll find out," I shrug. We just keeps going forward though. After a while of finding no water, we just stop. I see Peeta sweating and Mags limping and Katniss says what I'm thinking first.

"Let's take a break. I need to get another look from above," she says. Not exactly what I was thinking, but it will work. She scales another tree as I watch her. She comes back down after scanning the arena.

"The force field has us trapped in a circle. A dome, really. I don't know how high it goes. There's the Cornucopia, the sea, and then the jungle all around. Very exact. Very symmetrical. And not very large," Katniss maps out the arena for us. Not too good. I think they want this to be over quickly.

"Did you see any water?" I ask, the first question that comes to my mind naturally.

"Only the saltwater where we started the Games," she says. That stinks, where are we going to get water from?

"There must be some other source. Or we'll all be dead in a matter of days," Peeta says the obvious, but I don't care. I wonder what Johanna would think of that, what she's doing, what Annie is doing, what my parents are doing. Focus, Finnick. You are in an arena to win, not to pity yourself about being in here.

"Well, the foliage is thick. Maybe there are ponds or springs somewhere," Katniss suggests, but she doesn't sound like she believes it. "At any rate, there's no point in trying to find out what's over the edge of this hill, because the answer is nothing."

"There must be drinkable water between the force field and the wheel," Peeta really thinks this is going to happen. This won't happen though because we have too many people that aren't in the best condition. Fighting the Careers will get us all killed. We keep walking through but we don't make it too far. I chose the campsite ten years below the force field so we can use it as a weapon. I start to weave Mags with grass and Peeta starts frying nuts.

"Finnick, why don't you stand guard and I'll hunt for some more water," Katniss suggests. "Don't worry, I won't go too far."

"I'll go too," Peeta joins in. No.

"No, I'm going to do some hunting if I can. I won't be long," she says, implying that he better not come. Peeta would bother her, like most Careers are bothered when they train. She goes off and I pull my trident closer to me. We keep working and I teach Peeta how to weave the mats. When Katniss gets back, we have made an entire hut of grass mats, three walls, floors, roof, bowls, the whole thing. Katniss shakes her head. No water.

"No. No water. It's out there, though. He knew where it was. He'd been drinking recently when I shot him out of a tree, but I couldn't find his source. I swear, I covered every inch of ground in a thirty yard radius," Katniss says, showing us a rodent. She's pretty smart with her natural world, the forest. I felt like I was good in this arena until I got farther into it. This isn't actually looking too good. Maybe I should've left. I could be with Johanna right now or the Careers. They might take me back. Maybe I shouldn't have volunteered. Maybe I shouldn't have joined the rebellion to help Katniss. I don't see hope right now. This could be it. But, it's too late for should'ves and too early for planning my death.


	52. Chapter 52

"Can we eat him?" Peeta asks before I can. We need food.

"I don't know for sure. But his meat doesn't look that different from a squirrel's. He ought to be cooked…" Katniss starts, trying to figure how we are going to start a fire and hide it. I have the same question immediately too. But, good Peeta starts thinking out of the box. He takes some of the meat, puts it on a stick, and throws it into the force field. Maybe Peeta isn't a total idiot in the arena after all. We start to clap, but stop almost immediately. We keep frying up the rodent until the sun sets and it is time to go into our hut. We also fry some more nuts that Mags and eventually Katniss enjoy.

"How high was it?" I ask first.

"Um, really high."

"How long did I watch it before I shot?"

"Couple seconds."

"What was it doing?"

"Um, trying to find whatever it eats, insects, maybe?"

After a long round of this type of question and answer, we determine it is a tree rat. After a while, setting up camp and such, the anthem comes on and I draw in a deep breath. This will be hard. I know all of these people. Some of them are my friends. What happened to them? Will I see them in the sky?

Man from District 5, I knew that one; I killed him. Careers are alive that I could've guessed. I'm alive and so is Mags sitting beside me. Male from 6; I never knew him well other than he was a morphling. Cecelia and Woof. That one hits home hard. I remember watching Cecelia, when she was pregnant with her younger child.

_"Hey, Cecelia!" I feel really bad for Cecelia. She is pregnant with her third child and she still has to be a mentor for the games. I try to talk to her as much as possible but we don't really have much in common. I have to be truthful; Cecelia is what I want to be. I want to have a family like Cecelia has done. I doubt she has fully recovered but she has to be pretty close. I watched her games when I was young._

_Cecelia nods and sits on a chair because in her condition, sitting on tables isn't an option. Johanna kicks me in the leg lightly and I pretend to fall off the table. I find it best to take Johanna's actions lightly. She smirks and then turns her attention to Cecelia._

_"You got a name yet?" Johanna asks Cecelia. Cecelia seems happier at the thought of her children._

_"Well, if it's another boy, we would like to name him Davis. If it's a girl, I really don't know, maybe something like Drusilla." I hope it's a girl because I prefer that name a lot more. Plus, she already has two boys._

Her children at home that just lost their mother. If I get out of here, I make a promise to myself I will find them and help them in any way needed. And Woof, another of the most respected and well liked people of all of us and the Capitol. I think the Gamemakers just made their rebellion worse.

Both from 9, once again I didn't really know them all that well. The girl's name was Kaleigh but that's all I really know. Woman from 10, Lucille. She was so nice and eager to share with everyone. I liked her. Seeder from 11, one of the sweetest, strongest people I know. She proved that you can get around without drugs or alcohol after the Games. Gone, like that.

It is quiet, and no one moves. It is totally still until a silver parachute come floating down from the sky.

"Whose is it, do you think?" Katniss asks first, breaking the silence, which I'm thankful for.

"No telling. Why don't we let Peeta claim it, since he died today?" I suggest. Everyone agrees. Peeta picks the package up and opens the silk curtain.

"What is it?" Katniss asks. She examines it and passes it back to Peeta, who tries to blow into it like a whistle. I'm not sure what good that would do for us though. I take it next and try to see if it is some sort of weapon. That doesn't work either.

"Can you fish with it, Mags?" Katniss asks. Mags shakes her head and grunts something that sounds like no. Katniss gets it back around to her and rolls it around in her hand.

"I give up. Maybe if we hook up with Beetee or Wiress they can figure it out," Katniss suggests. That is the last thing I want to do, but I guess that might be the only way. But, I don't think our mentors would push us together like that. Johanna has them or she should.

"A spile!" Katniss exclaims, suddenly realizing it.

"What?" I ask, having no idea what it is.

"It's a spile. Sort of like a faucet. You put it in a tree and sap comes out. Well, the right sort of tree," she explains to me.

"Sap?" I don't know what that is either. We have palm trees, this is a new world for me.

"To make syrup. But there must be something else inside these trees," Peeta adds in. That breaks us all to our feet, heading towards the next tree. We drill into one with Mags' awl. Katniss puts it in. Nothing happens. Sigh. But then, a miracle happens and a drop of water rolls out and falls into Mag's palm. She holds it out again after licking it off. We take turns doing the same once we get a constant stream going.

Mags brings over a basket that is amazingly so tightly woven that it holds more water. We passed the filled basket around and wash our faces. It's a bit warm, but it's water and refreshes me like nothing else. Once we have all filled our thirst, we head back to camp and I offer to take first watch. They let me.

At the end of my shift, twelve bells sound. I look over to see if anyone was awaken, but just Katniss. "Mean anything, do you think?"

"No idea," I respond to her. I'm just as baffled as she. No one says anything so I tuck it away for later.

"Go to sleep, Finnick. It's my turn to watch, anyway," Katniss says. I lie down at the mouth of the hut, still attached to my trident and sleep immediately. I dream mostly of Annie, not how she is coping, but us back home. Our date a couple months ago, where we walked hand in hand on the shore but it started raining like crazy, so we had to run and take cover at some unused victor's house. It was fun, wonderful. However, it ends all too soon as I'm woken up with the shouts of Katniss:

"Run! Run!"

**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and make sure to review! Thanks for reading!**


	53. Chapter 53

The first major problem I notice is that my skin is terribly itchy, which is probably not a good promotion for the new skincare line that came out recently with my face plastered all over the ads. I reach for my trident, ready to fight, ignoring the pain in wait of an enemy, but the wall of fog slithering outside the thin wall of our tent stops my current train of thought and puts it into an entirely new direction. I lift sleeping Mags up onto my back as Katniss grabs Peeta's arm, still not fully awake.

"What is it? What is it?" I hear Peeta say behind me.

"Some kind of fog. Poisonous gas. Hurry, Peeta!" Katniss shouts back to him, confirming my thoughts. I can't tell how much farther this gas lasts, but they surely didn't gas the entire arena. That would not be fun for the viewers. Mags is getting heavier and the fog makes it hard to see where I'm stepping. A break in this would not be good at all. The sound of Katniss and Peeta becomes smaller and smaller, so at first I think they are dead, but someone steps on a branch, one I barely missed too.

"C'mon! You guys can make it!" I shout to them.

"Over here!" I shout again, but Peeta falls and he must have a terrible wound, because Katniss has an sound of urgent worry. I run backwards to them, and grab one of Peeta's arms. I can tell he is having trouble walking because of the gas and his fake leg. He's still slow though, and at this rate, we aren't getting out of here soon, which would mean all of our deaths.

"It's no good. I'll have to carry him. Can you take Mags?" I ask Katniss.

"Yes," Katniss says, but halfheartedly. She isn't as strong as I am. We continue to move forward but Peeta is on my back now. I move at a diagonal downwards, hearing to make sure Katniss is following. After a while, I hear more than footsteps but falling. I run back to them and make out Katniss failing from the fog.

"It's no use. Can you take them both? Go on ahead, I'll catch up," Katniss says but she doesn't believe it will work anymore than I do. I realize that someone isn't going to make it out now. I also know who it will be, because I know the people here.

"No. I can't carry them both. My arms aren't working. I'm sorry, Mags. I can't do it," I say sadly. I've lost two of my tridents, my arms are flailing uselessly, and I'm struggling to support Peeta as much as I am. Mags suddenly gets up, kisses me, and walks straight into the thickest part of the fog. Boom! And she's gone. I turn quickly so I don't have to stare at the spot where she collapsed anymore and continue on my retreat, faster and more determined then before. My mind only processes one thing and focus feels strange. I hope Katniss is coming. I work harder, but I collapse too after a while with Peeta on my back. Katniss collapses on us in a heap. I'm going to die. Everywhere is numb, even both bodies don't put any pain on me. They get up after a while and Katniss stares in awe at the fog, so I look too. It has stopped moving towards us. We are safe, for now at least, from it.

"It's stopped," Katniss croaks. The fog moves up and disappears. I can't move, I don't want to ever move. I'm still twitching, at least in some places.

"Mon-hees," Peeta stammers out of his chapped mouth. We watch them and they watch us, until we began to crawl to the beach with its warm water. It feels wonderful to be around water to again, something familiar in this otherwise terrible arena. But, it also feels like home, which starts a terrible sense of homesickness for everyone and loss of Mags, so I walk away from it. I won't. Katniss starts rubbing the salt water on my wounds, a normal practice in 4. It hurts badly, like they always said it was. They pull me over to the water. The feeling of numbness has been replaced with burning but I slowly come back to life.

"There's just your head left, Finnick. That's the worst part, but you'll feel much better after, if you can bear it," Peeta suggests. I sit up with their help and dunk my head into the water. My throat hurts.

"I'm going to try to sap a tree," Katniss says.

"Let me make the hole first. You stay with him. You're the healer," Peeta says, in a flashback to the 74th games. That's good, my brain is still working. Let's test my limbs and they work too. I wonder if I can still swim, which I can, just as smoothly as normal. I duck underwater and continue to swim, coming up for air I meet Katniss.

"Don't do that," she says.

"What? Come up or stay under?" I ask.

"Either. Neither. Whatever. Just soak in the water and behave. Of if you feel this good, let's go help Peeta," she says. I don't know what her problem is but I leave the water and help Peeta to help me get my mind off things. We walk across the jungle to find Peeta, and once we reach the end, Katniss notices something. She touches my arm and I look up with her, quietly. At least a hundred of those monkeys are perched on the branches of the trees, all staring at us. I slowly move my trident to a better position.

"Peeta, I need your help with something," Katniss says, calm in her voice.

"Okay, just a minute. I think I've just about got it. Yes, there. Have you got the spile?" He asks, not noticing what is going on over by his tree.

"I do. But we've found something you better take a long at. Only move toward us quietly, so you don't startle it." Peeta moves toward us.

"Okay," still not sure. He looks up and just like he set off a bomb, the monkeys slide down from their vines in an orange blur, fangs bared, claws shooting out, straight toward Peeta. We've got a bad case of mutts.


	54. Chapter 54

"Mutts!" Katniss shouts as we both run into the surrounding bushes and trees. She starts shooting her arrows, while I just kind of awkwardly sit there, knowing that if I threw my trident I would never get it back. I just grasp it tighter so I can stab them if they get any closer. Which they do quite quickly, so I start going into action. One grabs onto Katniss, which I stab and sling off. We form a triangle, going one on each side. Peeta's doing kind of the same thing as I am, but with a small little knife.

"Peeta! Your arrows!" Katniss shouts to him. He begins to take off his arrows but a monkey swings toward him, targeting his chest. I take out another one because I was already in the motion. Out of my sight, I flash goes by which I consider is a knife. Then, another much bigger. I turn around to his side and see the morphling hurtling herself in front of Peeta. The monkey bites her in the chest. Peeta finishes off the monkey with a stab. I walk over to them, still slightly confused about the whole situation.

"Come on, then! Come on!" Peeta shouts, but the monkeys are leaving, swayed by the voice of a Gamemaker. They must be happy that one of us has been killed. We are done with them, for now, at least. Peeta picks up the morphling and carries her to the beach. I guard the area with Katniss as we back out in case of any more surprise attacks from anything or anyone.

Katniss gets to work trying to help, but I don't think there is much we can do at this point. I think she was part of the rebellion group, but I'm not totally sure yet. I'm not really sure of anything at this point.

"I'll watch the trees," I say, feeling awkward. I'm not sure of my purpose here and I don't think there is much more for me to do for her. I go back into the forest, to survey the area and get any more signs of something we might've missed. As I'm looking, I collect Katniss' arrows, scattered throughout. The arena isn't too big. I wonder where everyone else is.

"Thought you might want these," I say, handing the arrows back to Katniss once I get back. The morphling is gone, so I figure they must've let her go long enough for the hovercraft to take her away. I never want to see that thing again, so I'm okay with not being there for it.

"Thanks," she says emptily. She washes them off and we head back into the forest where it is much safer. The monkeys' bodies are gone.

"Where did they go?" Katniss asks.

"We don't know exactly. The vines shifted and they were gone," I respond, having watched while the other two were taking care of the morphling. Betsy, I think her name was. We spent a couple minutes in silence, just taking in the events so far. I scratch at my face, which is healing but much too slow. How else will I get sponsor gifts?

"Don't scratch. You'll only bring infection. Think it's safe to try for the water again?" Katniss asks. We go back to Peeta's tree and I stand guard while Peeta does the work. We clean ourselves with it and then collect some for later.

"Why don't you two get some rest? I'll watch for a while," Katniss offers.

"No, Katniss, I'd rather," I say. This day has been exhausting and I've been pushing off emotions for a while now. The audience has surely gone to sleep and won't notice what I do now. I can cry openly if I want to, but maybe I won't. I'm not sure. I need to quit saying that.

"All right, Finnick, thanks," Katniss says, laying down to sleep. I just sit until she's gone and then I find it would be best to be productive. I start weaving a net just like so many have done before me, Mags, Blair. I toss it into the water, collecting shellfish. I weave some bowls and put them in. I go over a little bit so I can still see them and collect water in the other two bowls. On my way back, I pick up a stone. My work must've woken Katniss. I start banging on the fish with a stone.

"They're better fresh," I offer to her. I've probably been crying but too involved in my work to notice. She does too but doesn't bring it up. I see her blood caked nails from when she was scratching asleep.

"You know, if you scratch you'll bring on infection," I tell her.

"That's what I've heard," she says. I need this now; I need to move on. I think I'm doing quite well. She goes to wash off as I keep banging away. Peeta must be a heavy sleeper. She eats and then looks up, as if talking to God.

"Hey, Haymitch, if you're not too drunk, we could use a little something for our skin," she says. A parachute comes quite quickly with a tube. "About time," she murmurs. Obviously from the quality of the gift, it must mean they have plenty of sponsors. I would like to think I contributed to it as well. I lean over to look as she opens it. It's dark ointment and smells disgusting, but I think this is what 7 smells like if I remember correctly. She puts it on but it brings a weird reaction. She throws it to me, and I touch it.

"It's like you're decomposing," I observe. I wait a moment to see if she dies or something, but I give in a put it on too. I'm going to look terrible, I notice as I see her combination of scabs and ointment.

"Poor Finnick. Is this the first time in your life you haven't looked pretty?" She teases me.

"It must be. The sensation's completely new. How have you managed it all these years?" I ask back. This is actually quite fun, not the burning, but the conversation.

"Just avoid mirrors. You'll forget about it," she says.

"Not if I keep looking at you," I say, which is the truth.

"I'm going to wake Peeta," she says, getting up.

"No, wait. Let's do it together. Put our faces right in front of his," I suggest. She agrees. We both lean in inches away from his nose on either side.

"Peeta. Peeta, wake up," she says gently, shaking him. He wakes up with a scream, jumping. Katniss and I fall back in laughter. It doesn't help when Peeta tries to give us a disapproving look. Then, bread falls from the sky.

**Hello! I'm back! I'm am soooooooo sorry for not being here, on any of my stories and I really don't have a good reason. I want to thank all of you for still reading and this will never happen again. I have planned out all the other chapters and I think there is only going to be around ten more, :(. I'm also going to stick with the books all the way through, but I will do some extra chapters (not included in the ten-ish) that keep going without the unfortunate events that happen in Mockingjay to our friend Finnick. I'm going to try to get back to doing weekly chapters. Thanks for reading, make sure to review, and have a magical day! **


	55. Chapter 55

The bread arrives in my hands and I instantly recognize it as from home, dotted with seaweed.

"This will go well with the shellfish," I say simply. Of course, it brings up when Mags brought me this bread after winning, but I choose to ignore that. Then, we eat. After we are about done, we collect our things. A cannon fires and we turn to see the body being pulled up. I've never really seen that before, and I would be okay not seeing it.

"Three," Katniss whispers to us, nodding to them. We duck into the shadows so they don't see us, in case of an enemy. They're red color and in really bad shape, terrible actually.

"Who is that? Or what? Muttations?" Peeta asks. Katniss gets out her bow and readies herself to shoot, but they collapse. I doubt they are going to kill us. I look a little closer.

"Johanna!" I shout, running over.

"Finnick!" She shouts and then begins her story. "We thought it was rain, you know, because of the lightning, and we were all so thirsty. But when it started coming down, it turned out to be blood. Thick, hot blood. You couldn't see, you couldn't speak without getting a mouthful. We just staggered around, trying to get out of it. That's when Blight hit the force field."

"I'm sorry, Johanna," I say. I knew they weren't super close, but it still hurts when someone from home dies. I know.

"Yeah, well, he wasn't much, but he was from home. And he left me alone with these two," she nudges Beetee. I notice Katniss and Peeta are here now. "He got a knife in the back at the Cornucopia. And her-"

"Tick, tock. Tick, tock," Wiress is saying, crazily. Even I don't have an explanation for that.

"Yeah, we know. Tick, tock. Nuts is in shock. Just stay down, will you?" She says, pushing her to the ground.

"Lay off her," Katniss snaps back. I have no idea why Katniss has attached herself to the crazy, but it seems like she won't accept Johanna until Johanna accepts Wiress.

"Lay off her? Who do you think got them out of that bleeding jungle for you? You-" She maneuvers around me, and smacks Katniss. I pick her up, trying to delay this for a while, and carry her over to the water, dunking her in. The entire time she is babbling on calling Katniss all kinds of names I would prefer not to remember. I see Katniss and Peeta taking back both of 3 back to camp.

"Are you going to stop any time soon?" I ask her, as she has started a new list. I splash more water on her, getting some more of the disgusting blood off.

"She annoys me to no end. Why is she the Mockingjay? Couldn't we have picked a better one?" She complains, cleaning herself off too.

"We can't change this. Just don't kill her and try to be nice. You might actually be friends," I say. Most of it has come off.

"Ha, be friends with 12? No thank you," she says, getting up out of the water. I join her as we walk back over to see that both are being attended to in the same way. She eats shellfish as I tell her about the story.

"Who's going to guard?" Johanna asks.

"I will," Katniss says immediately.

"I'll join you," Johanna responds. I hope this isn't her plan to kill Katniss in the night, but I just hoped that she wouldn't do anything damaging. I'm pretty tired, so I don't argue.

I'm waken up, way too early, by Katniss shaking me. "Get up, we have to move," she tells us. Then, she explains to us her clock theory. It makes sense, so I agree. The arena is a clock. It makes sense. She wakes Wiress up later, I guess because she knew it all along. No explaining needed.

"One-thirty," she says.

"Exactly. One-thirty. And at two, a terrible poisonous fog begins there. So we have to move somewhere safe now. Are you thirsty?" She asks Wiress. I hand her the last roll as well.

"Wire," Beetee stammers.

"She's right here. Wiress is fine. She's coming, too," Peeta tells him.

"Wire."

"Oh, I know what he wants," Johanna says, annoyed. She walks over to the camp and picks up the wire. "This worthless thing. It's some kind of wire or something. That's how he got cut. Running up the Cornucopia to get this. I don't know what kind of weapon it's supposed to be. I guess you could pull off a piece and use it as a garrote or something. But really, can you imagine Beetee garroting somebody?"

"He won his Games with wire. Setting up that electrical trap. It's the best weapon he could have," Peeta counters. I know perfectly well what Johanna knows about the wire, and she is a terrible actress. I hope no one figures that out.

"Seems like you'd have figured that out, since you nicknamed him Volts and all," Katniss says. Yep, she caught it. This is bad.

"Yeah, that was really stupid of me, wasn't it? I guess I must have been distracted by keeping your little friends alive. While you were…what, again? Getting Mags killed off?" I watch Katniss reach for her knife. I'm cursing Johanna in my head. She might be more trouble than anything. "Go ahead. Try it. I don't care if you are knocked up. I'll rip your throat out."

"Maybe we all better be careful where we step. There's you wire, Volts. Watch where you plug it," I say, stepping in. It's looks like I'll be playing peacemaker from now on, at least while they're together.

**Happy F****innick Friday! Oh, Johanna. Haha, I love Johanna! Thanks for reading and make sure to review! I'm so close to 200 reviews, let's see if we can get there! **


	56. Chapter 56

We head off to the Cornucopia because I want to make sure. If this is our new plan, we might as well make sure it actually is happening. Everyone agrees and we head down the sand. I'm slightly nervous about this idea, considering this is normally the Careers' camp. However, they've probably already started their hunt. No one is there when we emerge out of the bushes.

"Clean it, will you?" Peeta asks Wiress. He's much nicer about it than Johanna would've been. I think it's just to distract her while we do our work. She starts singing, and I know how this will go over.

"Oh, not the song again. That went on for hours before she started tick tocking," she sighs, right on cue.

"Two," Wiress points. Katniss follows her. I see fog lifting up from where she pointed. "Yes, look, Wiress is right. It's two o'clock and the fog has started." Katniss explains.

"Like clockwork. You were very smart to figure that out, Wiress," Peeta says. I look at Johanna, rolling her eyes. Peeta is soft, this everyone knows. Johanna doesn't deal well with those type of people. She also doesn't deal well with people who will stand up to her, so Katniss. I realize that the only reason she has to stay around is me. That increases my need to stay alive.

"Oh, she's more than smart. She's intuitive. She can sense things before anyone else. Like a canary in one of your coal mines," Beetee adds in, the first in a while.

"What's that?" I ask Katniss. My memories of 12 are small, just a lot of gray and dirt.

"It's a bird that we take down into the mines to warn us if there's bad air," Katniss explains. It's interesting, I guess.

"What's it do, die?" Johanna asks.

"It stops singing first. That's when you should get out. But if the air's too bad, it dies, yes. And so do you," Katniss says. Then, she draws back. Conversation over. I drag Johanna over to the piles left over of weapons. "Let's find something."

Johanna finds lots of axes and Katniss manages to find some bows. Tridents even are everywhere. We also grab some knives. Peeta calls us over.

"Look how the Cornucopia's positioned," he says. He points to the drawing he made in the sand.

"The tail points toward twelve o'clock," Katniss says.

"Right, so this is the top of our clock. Twelve to one is the lightening zone." Peeta draws the ones we know in. "And ten to eleven is the wave." Katniss adds.

"Did you notice anything unusual in the others? I guess they could hold anything," Katniss asks Johanna. They just shake their heads. Just blood.

"I'm going to mark the ones where we know the Gamemakers' weapon follows us out past the jungle, so we'll stay clear of those. Well, it's a lot more than we knew this morning, anyway." Peeta sighs, finishing his drawing. It falls silent.

Wiress – the singing has stopped.

Katniss loads her arrow and aims at Gloss, leaning over Wiress. She's dead. I step in front of Peeta, catching his knife in my thigh from Enobaria. I toss a trident at Brutus, catching his spear out of the sky. Cashmere is dead, I can see that from the ax in his chest. We run after Brutus and Enobaria, just me, Johanna, and Katniss. I don't expect Peeta to follow. He knows his place.

Suddenly we are thrown to the side and we start spinning. I feel my stomach rise, it's like a carnival rise. This is much worse than motion sickness. I try to grab onto something, but it's just sand. Thankfully, the spinning stops. I don't have much time to get my head on straight though.

"Where's Volts?" Johanna asks. We all jump up, but he's gone. Peeta's alive. The bodies are gone. I spot Beetee out in the water, teetering to keep afloat.

"Cover me," Katniss says. She throws her weapons to the side and jumps into the water. She's heading the other way, so I jump into the water for Beetee. I cross the water, which has some odd things in it, in just a few strokes. I pick up Beetee, who spits out a little bit of water. It takes longer to get back onto shore. I lay him on the sand while I pull myself up. He's starts spewing out water, but he'll be fine. Katniss hands him the wire. That must've been what she went in for.

"Let's get off this stinking island," Johanna says. I agree.

**I hate finals. For many reasons, but this one especially. So that's the reason I haven't been writing as much, but this weekend I have no homework (what?!) so I should have plenty of time to hopefully get another chapter up. Thanks for reading and make sure to review! **


	57. Chapter 57

We head off the Cornucopia and back into forest, where we decide to get some water from a tree. I volunteer and Katniss says she will cover with me. We walk a little farther away into the woods and find a good spot.

"Katniss, got that spile?" I ask Katniss. She looks a little distracted which never seems good. She lays it in the palm of my hand. And then there's a scream. I don't know whose it is but Katniss is taking off in a run. I'm not sure who she's going after. Everyone in the arena she cares about, I think, is the other way. I decide to run after her.

She does most of the hard work, cutting away branches. It's the only way I know where she's heading because she's running at the speed of light. Finally, I catch up to her stopped in the middle of a clearing. She's just wiping her arrow off, like it was nothing.

"Katniss?" I ask.

"It's okay. I'm okay. I though I heard my sister but-" She starts, but another scream starts. I would know that scream anywhere. I haven't heard it in a while but I still remember it. It's the distinct shout of Annie and it's filled with terror. I take off through the woods going deeper and farther away from the camp. I need to help her, I have to. I'm not sure what is happening but it has to be bad. I can hear Katniss shouting my name behind me, but I don't turn around. Not when Annie is in trouble.

I find the cause up high in a tree, one I can't reach.

"Annie! Annie!" I shout. I see Katniss move around me, but I don't stop shouting or giving up. A bird falls to my feet from the tree. It's a jabberjay. Only then does the shrieking stop. I pick it up. It sounded real, so real. I've heard but I didn't think it would be that real.

"It's all right, Finnick. It's just a jabberjay. They're playing a trick on us. It's not real. It's not your…Annie," she explains, out of breath. I realize I'm panting too.

"No, it's not Annie. But the voice was hers. Jabberjays mimic what they hear. Where did they get those screams, Katniss?" I ask, but don't expect an answer. I don't really want to know either.

"Oh, Finnick, you don't think they…" She starts, realizing what I'm implying. You just can't go on the computer and find a certain person screaming to record.

"Yes. I do. That's exactly what I think," I sigh. I let the bird drop to the ground, dead. Another round of screaming starts. I don't recognize it but Katniss does. I grab her arm.

"No. It's not him." I try to stop her, but she runs and drags me along. "We're getting out of here! It's not him, Katniss! It's a mutt! Come on!" She stops anyway after a long way of dragging me. We must've gotten all the way back to camp because we can see Johanna and Peeta now. We run through the trees, but there is a force field. It pushes it backward, hard. My nose hits the ground and it starts bleeding. We're trapped in here until the hour is over. We can't hear them. We can touch the wall, but that is all.

Birds start to arrive, many of them, all around the surrounding trees. Screams of horror from everyone – Annie, my mother and father, Flora, Daniel and Noah, Blair, Johanna. All of them, plus some others that must be from Katniss' past. I fall back to the ground, clutching my ears trying to keep them out but they are loud, incredibly loud and extremely close.

I feel a hand on my back and look up, not moving my hands. It's Johanna. If she can enter, that means the screaming is done. I slowly remove my hands from my ears. I stand up, with Johanna's help. We walk over to where Peeta and Katniss are standing.

"Katniss, Prim isn't dead. How could they kill Prim? We're almost down to the final eight of us. And what happens then?" Peeta asks her.

"Seven more of us die," she whimpers.

"No, back home. What happens when they reach the final eight tributes in the Games? What happens? At the final eight?" He asks. I know.

"They interview your family and friends back home." She responds. I remember watching mine back. They are filled with a little bit of happiness but also despair and lost. They think it's just luck.

"That's right. They interview your family and friends. And can they do that if they've killed them all?" Peeta asks her. He's right.

"No?"

"No. That's how we know Prim's alive. She'll be the first one they interview, won't she?"

"First Prim. Then your mother. Your cousin, Gale. Madge. It was a trick, Katniss. A horrible one. But we're the only ones who can be hurt by it. We're the ones in the Games. Not them."

"You really believe that?" She asks him.

"I really do."

"Do you believe it, Finnick?" Katniss asks me. I'm shocked that she asked.

"It could be true. I don't know. Could they do that, Beetee? Take someone's regular voice and make it…" I ask him.

"Oh, yes. It's not even that difficult, Finnick. Our children learn a similar technique in school," Beetee explained.

"Of course Peeta's right. The whole country adores Katniss's little sister. If they really killed her like this, they'd probably have an uprising on their hands. Don't want that, do they? Whole country in rebellion? Wouldn't want anything like that!" Johanna said, lifting her head to the sky, invoking the Gamemakers and Snow. It's what I wanted to do as well. It's sick. Totally sick what they just did.

We must stop it. We have to. No more hiding.

**I've had this chapter saved since the weekend and forgot to upload it... Well, here it is now and quite a sad one at that!**


	58. Chapter 58

After I've finished weaving another basket and a net, Katniss joins me to clean the fish while I start to fish. We get a good deal before the anthem begins and the faces are cast into the sky. I know all of them and it's quite sad watching them all flash by. It's a lot, quite a high number, larger than any other.

"They're really burning through us," Johanna says.

"Who's left? Between us five and District Two?" I ask.

"Chaff," Peeta says quickly. I forgot about him as we haven't seen him in the arena yet. A parachute comes floating down to us, with rolls inside. This is it. The sign I was told about.

"These are from your district, right, Beetee?" Peeta asks, as if knowing what is going on. I don't think he does, so I don't say anything.

"Yes, from District Three. How many are there?" Beetee responds. I count them, making sure that I get everyone.

"Twenty four."

"An even two dozen, then?" Beetee verifies.

"Twenty four on the nose. How should we divide them?" I ask.

"Let's each have three and whoever is still alive at breakfast can take a vote on the rest," Johanna says. It's truth, sad, but true. Kind of like my life right now.

After that, we move out of the way for the flood to happen and then clear before we head back to make camp. There is a strange clicking from the part over which we make sure not to intrude on. Katniss and Peeta call out first watch, which I don't try to take from them. I just fall into a deep sleep, but a strange sleep. It's filled with dreams about Annie, which are actually more like nightmares. I don't wake up though.

The lightening finally wakes me from my nightmare. I wake up with a start, clenching onto the sand, even though it slips through my fingers. "I can't sleep anymore. One of you should rest. Or both of you. I can watch alone." I tell them. I'm not going back into dream world.

"It's too dangerous. I'm not tired. You lie down, Katniss." Peeta says. After that, he joins me where I'm sitting. It's silent most of the time. I don't feel like talking and I doubt he does either. After a while, Johanna joins me for the rest of the watch while Peeta lies next to Katniss.

"How are you doing?" She asks softly. The sun is beginning to rise. It won't be long until we all wake up.

"Okay. Terrible, actually. Mags is gone and Annie is haunting everything I do, everywhere I go. The worst part is that I know it is only going to get worse," I tell her.

"Are you actually showing some kind of regret?" She asks. Her voice sounds slightly harsh but just enough humor to know what it means.

"No, just…nervousness."

"Well you need to stop that because then you will get wrinkles and who knows how many sponsors you'll lose!" She laughs. Johanna never fails to cheer me up. I have to smile at that.

"It will all be fine and even if it isn't we will get through it. Even if it doesn't happen in the arena, it will happen everywhere else and that is what really matters," she says. The sun is almost all the way up and I hear Beetee stirring behind us.

"I'm going to go see if I can catch any fish," I tell her, grabbing my net and trident to get lost in the sea. This is what I need right now, even if we are the middle of a deadly stupid game. I catch almost nothing but at least I was able to spend some time alone to think about things in the water. When I get back to land, everyone is splitting up the rolls except Katniss, who must be still sleeping. After I'm finished eating, we all break up to do different things. Katniss teaches Peeta how to swim, Johanna goes back to sleep, Beetee plays with his wire, and I start weaving another net after chopping down more vines.

"Hey, Finnick! Come on in! We figured out how to make you pretty again!" She shouts from the water. I drop my net on the sand and run out to join them. Might as well while I can.


	59. Chapter 59

Beetee eventually has to call us over for a meeting to introduce us to his new plan.

"I think we'll all agree our next job is to kill Brutus and Enobaria. I doubt they'll attack us openly again, now that they're so outnumbered. We could track them down, I suppose, but it's dangerous, exhausting work," Beetee says. I scoff at the dangerous part. We've all done our fair share of dangerous before or we wouldn't be here. But, our pack still isn't in the best of conditions unlike when we were young and able bodied.

"Do you think they've figured out about the clock?" Katniss asks.

"If they haven't, they'll figure it out soon enough. Perhaps not as specifically as we have. But they must know that at least some of the zones are wired for attacks and that they're reoccurring in a circular fashion. Also, the fact that our last fight was cut off by Gamemaker intervention will have not gone unnoticed by them. We know it was an attempt to disorient us, but they must be asking themselves why it was done, and this, too, may lead them to the realization that the arena's a clock. So I think our best bet will be setting our own trap," Beetee explains. Personally, I don't the Careers have figured it out at all because they simply don't care. Careers are bloodthirsty and that is about it.

"Wait, let me get Johanna up. She'll be rabid if she thinks she missed something this important," I say, walking over to Johanna and gently nudging her awake.

"We are talking about important things," I say, so she immediately jumps up. Beetee has drawn the arena in the sand.

"If you were Brutus and Enobaria, know what you do now about the jungle, where would you feel safest?" Beetee asks.

"Where we are now. On the beach. It's the safest place," Peeta answers first.

"So why aren't they on the beach?" Beetee counters.

"Because we're here," Johanna says, not seeing the point in all these circular questions and neither am I.

"Exactly. We're here, claiming the beach. Now where would you go?" Beetee asks.

"I'd hide just at the edge of the jungle. So I could escape if an attack came. And so I could spy on us," Katniss says. She's right and she would also know. That is one of her strongest traits in the arena.

"Also to eat. The jungle's full of strange creatures and plants. But by watching us, I'd know the seafood's safe," I add in.

"Yes, good. You do see. Now here's what I propose: a twelve o'clock strike. What happens exactly at noon and midnight?" Beetee asks.

"The lightning bolt hits the tree." Katniss answers. I watch Johanna sigh out of the corner of my eye.

"Yes. So what I'm suggesting is that after the bolt hits at noon, but before it hits at midnight, we run my wire from that tree all the way down into the saltwater, which is, of course, highly conductive. When the bolt strikes, the electricity will travel down the wire and into not only the water but also the surrounding beach, which will still be damp from the ten o'clock wave. Anyone in contact with those surfaces at that moment will be electrocuted," Beetee finally reveals. I give Johanna a quick look to verify what I'm thinking and she silently tells me that it is and to shut up.

"Will that wire really be able to conduct that much power? It looks so fragile, like it would just burn up," Peeta asks. I know it will and so does Beetee. We wouldn't be given faulty wire for the plan.

"Oh, it will. But not until the current has passed through it. It will act something like a fuse, in fact. Except the electricity will travel along it," Beetee promises.

"How do you know?" Johanna says, acting along with her role.

"Because I invented it. It's not actually wire in the usual sense. Nor is the lightning natural lightning nor the tree a real tree. You know trees better than any of us, Johanna. It would be destroyed by know, wouldn't it?" Beetee says.

"Yes," she agrees.

"And where will we be when it happens?" I ask, figuring this part should be talked about in public anyway.

"Far enough up in the jungle to be safe," Beetee responds.

"The Careers will be safe, too then, unless they're in the vicinity of the water," Katniss says. Beetee agrees.

"But all the seafood will be cooked," Peeta says.

"More than cooked. We will be eliminating that as a food source for good. But you found other edible things in the jungle, right, Katniss?" Beetee asks, which Katniss agrees to adding in a bit about the sponsors. Everyone agrees it is the right thing to do and then we get to work. Beetee inspects the tree with Peeta helping him. Johanna leads us to the tree and Katniss keeps watch. After we have arrived, I guard Beetee while he checks the tree, Johanna gets water, Peeta gets nuts, and Katniss hunts.

That night we have a picnic in the blood-rain section. We watch as the lightning strikes and tell Beetee all about it. We decide to catch more fish and shellfish, even some oysters at the bottom, which lets me go all the way down to the bottom where the beautiful fish and flowers are on the floor just like home. That's when I realize I will probably never go back home again. After this, who knows what will happen. Who knows who will die. I mean, I could even die.

"Hey, look at this! You know, if you put enough pressure on coal it turns to pearls," Peeta says, showing me. However, my stupid bad mood doesn't have time for jokes.

"No, it doesn't," and then I get back to work. A parachute floats down from the sky with a pot of spicy red sauce and more rolls from 3, twenty four again, which I announce. We each take five and eat our feast greedily. And then, we wait. Beetee eventually asks me to help him by wrapping the wire around the trunk of the tree. While we work, I ask quick questions, verifying everything and helping work out all the problems we might encounter. I'm sure everyone just thinks it's small talk. Then, we make our way back down the beach. Where Beetee tells Katniss and Johanna to take the coil through the jungle, unwinding the wire, laying it across the beach, and sinking it in the water, then running for their lives. Peeta protests but we get rid of that problem quickly. Then, Johanna takes the coil.

Peeta and Katniss share a moment, so I go by Johanna.

"Good luck," I tell her.

"We'll be fine, calm down. We both want to get out of here and start this rebellion don't we?" She snickers. I smile.

"See you later, Finnick," she tells me.

"Yeah, see you Johanna," I say, and even though I know she will protest, I give her a hug, which she strangely accepts without a fight.

Then, I head off with Beetee and Peeta into the rest of the jungle.

**Next chapter we blow up the arena! Yeah! Also, thank you guys for reviewing this chapter 202 TIMES! Thank you all so much for your amazing reviews ; I love you all! So now for some announcements which you can read in which ever order, number one is bad, number two is good, so feel free to read them in whatever order you so wish:**

**1) This story will be ending :( We've got around six to seven chapters left and an AU. Finnick's actual life story will end on June 20 and the AU will be published on June 21. I'm going to try and publish new chapters around every other day. **

**2) I have two new stories coming up! The first is something totally new that is also in an entirely different book series; Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare! Hopefully, some of you also love this series but maybe not so the synopsis will be on my profile so no spoilery things if you haven't read (which you really should do!). This will be an AU story, so no more "Life and Story of ..." titles (sigh) and the working title is "City of Vampires." The second of my new stories I will let you pick! For my last Hunger Games POV, I have created a poll on my profile page for you to pick which character I do it from. The options include Cashmere, Maysilee, Marvel, Thresh, Foxface, and Glimmer, so go vote! And both of these will start sometime in July. **

**I haven't posted what songs I listened to while writing this chapter so, here you go: Rootless by Marina & the Diamonds, Never Let Me Go by Florence & The Machine, and Wings by Macklemore. **

**So, yes, thanks for reading (and the extremely long author's note) and make sure to review! **

**- And the challenge, let's get to 300 reviews by the time this story ends. :)**


	60. Chapter 60

And then everything goes into chaos, absolute, total, complete chaos. I know what Johanna's doing. Peeta leads us far enough into the woods so that we should be safe, except I have to go back in and so does Beetee.

"Stay here," I tell them after a while and before they can protest, I take off through the jungle, back down the path we came to the beach. Johanna is already gone but Katniss is still lying on the beach, eyes closed, and her arm bloody from where Johanna successfully cut out the tracker – I hope.

"Johanna! Katniss!" I shout. Katniss remains still, so I take off down the beach. I don't think Johanna killed her. Johanna can probably hold up with both Careers for a little bit, but not as long. When I've ran as far as I can before probably hitting a force field, I notice that there is no Johanna or Brutus. Johanna must've ran and then hid, Brutus probably went searching for her. I pull out my trident, standing to throw and she does too when Enobaria notices me.

"Listen, I don't want to kill you and I highly doubt that either of us actually wants this fight to happen," I tell her, as calm and casual as I can muster up.

"Why? What is all this about?" She asks angrily. She's still in fighting position.

"We are about to break out of here, blow up the force field. If you choose to help, I can let you live. However, if you don't, I'm going to have to kill you." She sums up her options before speaking again.

"What will I get from all this?" She asks.

"When we get out of here, I'll make sure the people in charge don't kill you. And even if you are taken by the Capitol, they love you. They won't kill you. If you join with me, you won't die. That's what I can offer you," I tell her. She considers.

"I never would've thought Finnick would be making a deal with a Career," she smirks.

"Well, I'm about to experience a lot of firsts, aren't I?" At that moment, she launches a knife at me, but I've already expected it and jumped out of the way, barely missing it as it sticks into a tree. I'm stronger than her, and push her to the ground, leaning my trident an inch away from her neck.

"We don't have time for indecisiveness. Whose side are you on?" I ask her, keeping the trident close as her reminder.

"Fine, you've made a deal," she sighs. I hold out my other hand and she slowly puts the rest of her knives into it.

"Anything else you've got there?" I ask. She shakes her head no. I release the trident from her throat as she stands.

"Where are we going from here?" She asks as two cannons go off right after each other. I have no idea whose they are, they really could be anybodies. Katniss or Peeta if we failed, Johanna, Beetee, Chaff, Brutus. Enobaria seems unfazed by the noise though.

"The tree, the one that always get struck by lightning," I tell her. We take off through the forest. We are quite a bit away, almost on the other side. I can begin to see Beetee sitting up above in the tree. That leaves Peeta, Chaff, Katniss, Johanna, and Brutus. Which two are dead? I don't entirely know what happens after this and I don't really have to face that decision.

I look up, following an arrow that can only be Katniss' shooting through the sky. It's target is clear.

"Back up!"I tell Enobaria, to get away from the explosion. We take a few steps backwards before the force field explodes with a loud noise and a burst of blue light. I'm throw back as is Enobaria and I don't even know where she landed. Not next to me. Stuff falls from the sky but I can't move. Can't do anything. I'm not dead. I probably won't die from this, but then the explosions start up.

Trees erupting everywhere, and I close my mouth and cover my eyes to keep dirt from getting in them. I hear something burst into flames behind me and I know I must move away before I catch fire. I crawl, slowly. I hear something else but I don't see it. I slowly remove my arm from my face and lay down, the smoke getting to me. From above, I see a hovercraft coming to pick me up. I don't know who is driving it, but it pulls me up and I don't fight. I don't have anything left to fight with. My trident is flung on the ground, I can see it burning below. That's the last thing I see before I'm pulled all the way up into the hovercraft.

When I wake up, I'm in a hospital room in a thin gown. I can breathe normally, good, clean air. Katniss lays beside me but other than that, the room is eerily white. I get up, I can't stand to sit and walk into the hallway.

"Finnick," Plutarch breathes when he sees me. "You did good. We saved her, you saved her." He tells me.

"So, we got everyone out then?" I ask after seeing just Katniss.

"No, um, we weren't able to," he says, clearing his throat. "I'm sorry, Finnick. Johanna and Peeta were taken by the Capitol. Brutus and Chaff were killed." Johanna will surely be interrogated brutally. Peeta should be okay but Johanna knows too much. She might be killed.

"What about outside the districts?" I ask him.

"Full scale rebellion. Communications are down in Seven, Ten, and Twelve. But Eleven has control of transportation now, so there's at least a hope of them getting some food out," he answers.

"And four?" I ask, the only one I really care about. That's where Annie is.

"Rebellion as well. Daniel is in charge, I believe you were friends with him." He tells me. I'm tired of not getting my answer the one he knows I want.

"And Annie?" I ask.

"We're trying to get her out of everything, explosions are going on now," he answers gently.

"Get me there, now," I tell him, almost a command.

"No, I'm sorry. There's no way I can get you to Four. But I've given special orders for her retrieval if possible. It's the best I can do, Finnick." I sigh. Haymitch had joined us.

"Don't be stupid. That's the worst thing you could do. Get her killed for sure. As long as you're alive, they'll keep her alive for bait," Haymitch says. Katniss enters with a burst.

"Eat," Plutarch tells her, passing soup to her and another to me.

"Katniss, I'm going to explain what happened. I don't want you to ask any questions until I'm through. Do you understand?" Haymitch asks. She nods and then he reveals our plan.

"You didn't tell me," is her response.

"Neither you nor Peeta were told. We couldn't risk it. I was even worried you might mention my indiscretion with the watch during the Games. Of course, when I showed you this, I was merely tipping you off about the arena. As a mentor. I thought it might be the first step toward gaining your trust. I never dreamed you'd be a tribute again," Plutarch says. Katniss keeps asking questions and we keep answering, I a little less. I've lost both Annie and Johanna. We move back into the hospital type room and I lie back on the bed.

"Katniss. Katniss, I'm sorry. I wanted to go back for him and Johanna, but I couldn't move," I told her, she doesn't respond. "It's better for him than Johanna. They'll figure out he doesn't know anything pretty fast. And they won't kill him if they think they can use him against you."

"Like bait? Like how they'll use Annie for bait, Finnick?" She says, rudely. That's the first time I cried. It was silence as I cried myself to sleep. I wake eventually just in time to hear Gale, who must've entered.

"Katniss, there is no District Twelve."

**Okay, we have ended Catching Fire! Anyone catch the reference in this chapter? When I was reading this book for the first time, I just closed the book and stared at the back for a while because I couldn't believe it was over. Thanks for reading and make sure to review! **


	61. Chapter 61

I spend a lot of time in therapy, most of which I actually spend sleeping or crying though. I have no idea what happened to Annie because they won't tell me anything. I went from one of the most trusted to the least. All I know is that Katniss got out of therapy already, went back to 12, and is back where everyone wants her to become the mockingjay. I wish I could help but I've already been deemed too weak to do anything. So, I just sit in the therapy room all day. However, they let me out every so often as long as I keep work on my therapy. This time, it's untying knots from a long rope just to keep me busy, I think. It reminds me a little of home, so I wonder how they thought this would turn out. Katniss runs over to me when she sees me.

"Hey, Finnick. Finnick! How are you doing?" She asks, trying to be cheerful.

"Katniss. Why are we meeting here?" I ask, taking hold of her hand. I haven't seen her in a while. It's nice.

"I told Coin I'd be her Mockingjay. But I made her promise to give the other tributes immunity if the rebels won in public, so there are plenty of witnesses," Katniss tells me. I'm happy for her, this is what I worked for and it came true.

"Oh. Good because I worry about that with Annie. That she'll say something that could be construed as traitorous without know it," I say.

"Don't worry, I took care of it," Katniss squeezes my hand and then runs over to talk to Coin. I don't pay attention to what they are saying, just untying my knots until I have a regular piece of rope again. But I just tie it back up again and untie them so it looks like I'm still working. I guess my monitor sees this though and how much I'm improving, because soon I don't have any more knots to tie and I'm back on the role of the victors, hanging out at one of Katniss' tapings for a propo.

She looks beautiful up there with all her makeup done with the flames shooting out. I watch them fix her makeup and tell her where to position her body.

"They'll either want to kill you, kiss you, or be you," I tell Katniss as we watch the footage. She smiles a little at that. I think I may be back and soon enough I'm back to being told what is going on while not being able to participate in it the majority of the time. However, the only time I protest is when I'm told about the mission going to District 8 to help some victims so they can use the footage for propos. I want to help, I'm okay, I tell them, but they refuse my protests. When they are gone, I sneak out of my room and head into the hallway where I find Katniss and Boggs waiting by the elevator.

"Katniss, they won't let me go! I told them I'm fine, but they won't even let me ride in the hovercraft!" I tell them loudly.

"Oh, I forgot. It's this stupid concussion. I was supposed to tell you to report to Beetee in Special Weaponry. He's designed a new trident for you," Katniss says.

"Really? What's it do?" I ask, piping up with the trident part.

"I don't know. But if it's anything like my bow and arrows, you're going to love it. You'll need to train with it, though," she tells me. I nod.

"Right, of course. I guess I better get down there," I tell her.

"Finnick? Maybe some pants?" she questions. I look down at my legs, bare as I'm dressed in a nightgown. I take this off so I just in my underwear.

"Why? Do you find this distracting?" I say, making a quick pose which Katniss laughs at and Boggs uncomfortably watches.

"I'm only human, Odair," she says getting into the elevator with Boggs. I watch as the doors close and I'm officially going to have to stay here. However, I do head to Beetee's lab to pick up my trident. When I get there, Beetee greets me with a smile and hands my trident to me that was sitting on a shelf.

"This is the new trident I made you, totally advanced," he tells me. "Don't hit any of the buttons." I stand in awe, looking up and down the weapon. It's gorgeous, the metal painted a silvery blue color. I haven't seen a trident this perfect since the one I saw in my first games and that might just have been in the euphoria that I got a weapon, a trident, something I knew how to fight with and that I actually might be able to pull this winning thing off. "Because you will also need this." Beetee pulls out a black box from one of his working tables and opens it up to reveal a silver bracelet.

"Put this on," he tells me and I immediately do, although I have no idea what it is going to do. "Follow me. I think it will be better for you for test this out in a training room than my lab." He leads me down a hallway and into the training center. The rest of the soldiers stare at me when I walk in, but Beetee waves a hand at them to tell them to get back to work. I follow Beetee into a long room with targets on the wall and a clay path between them.

"Throw your trident," he instructs me. I do, hitting a target straight on the nose like normal. Beetee seems quite impressed. "Now, click the button on your bracelet and get ready." I slowly press the button and look up to see the trident dislodge itself from the target and come flying back at me. I quickly stick out my hand to catch it, taken aback by its power.

"Pretty cool, right? Now, up at the top are various buttons." Beetee takes the trident from my hand to show me what they each do. The first sharpens the blades. The second extends the blades, which is normally used for stabbing. The third extends the handle making it easier to throw. The fourth and fifth he doesn't show me yet and promises we will do this once I've had a bit more training.

"Can I keep it in my room?" I ask Beetee as we leave out of the now empty gym. Everyone was running to dinner surely.

"Well, I'm not sure what your doctor would say, but it's fine with me. Just remember not to play with it too much and don't hit the fourth and fifth buttons until I'm there. You probably want the case for your bracelet. I'll have it sent to your room for you," Beetee answers.

"Thank you," I say, gripping the trident a little harder.

"You're welcome, Finnick," he says stepping into the elevator and leaving me in the empty hallway.

**We are now into Mockingjay! Hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter and make sure to review!**


	62. Chapter 62

After way too long without Katniss and many mental lapses, she finally returns. I take my tray of dinner into her room. The newest propo is airing tonight. It starts with Gale, Boggs, and Cressida talking about the hospital. Then the bombs start. Katniss buries her face in the pillow and looks up right at the end, to see herself on the screen.

"People should know that happened. And now they do," I say after seeing her reaction.

"Let's turn it off, Finnick, before they run it again," she tells me. I reach for the remote, but she interjects. I look up to the screen, it's Caesar Flickerman.

_I make a decision that I have to be a people person._

_"So, Finnick Odair, are you ready for these games?"_

_"Um, yeah, I guess. You never know what's coming until it gets there though."_

_"True, very true. Any one special back home?"_

_"No, not really. Many people think they are though!" I wink at the crowd and I know I have won people over._

_"Good luck, Finnick." The buzzer rings and I go over at sit next to the other people._

And then it's Peeta. He doesn't look good. They start talking like it's just another day in the Capitol and everything is okay.

"What about the rumors? That Katniss, your wife, is making propos for the districts?" Caesar asks him.

"They're using her, obviously to whip up the rebels. I doubt she even really knows what's going on in the war. What's at stake," he answers.

"Is there anything you'd like to tell her?" Caesar asks.

"There is. Don't be a fool, Katniss. Think for yourself. They've turned you into a weapon that could be instrumental in the destruction of humanity. If you've got any real influence, use to it put the brakes on this thing. Use it to stop the war before it's too late. Ask yourself, do you really trust the people you're working with? Do you really know what's going on? And if you don't…find out," he says. Then it goes black. It's over. I turn the television off.

"We didn't see it," I tell her, grabbing her arms.

"What?" She's surprised.

"We didn't see Peeta. Only the propo on Eight. Then we turned the set off because the images upset you. Got it? Finish your dinner," I tell her. Plutarch and Fulvia come quickly as Katniss is stuffing her face.

"Gale looks great on camera. You really should use him more, the nice boy from 12, that has faced so much already," I tell them. "Oh, and congratulations, the propo was very moving!" They nod and smile along with me. Katniss says a couple words about how the propo turned out.

The next day, Katniss says that I'm allowed to go into the woods with her, of course, only if I want. I say it's fine and we head out. We both leave our communicators under a bush to talk about Peeta.

"I haven't heard one word about it. No one's told you anything?" I ask her. She shakes her head, no. "Not even Gale? Maybe he's trying to find a time to tell you privately."

"Maybe." After that, it's silent. Katniss shoots a buck that I go bring back to the fence.

Eventually, Katniss has to go back to 12 to shoot some more propos with Gale, leaving me alone. I don't really do much and no one bothers me. They just leave me to my room, bringing me food every so often when I should eat. One day, they brought me a little box that makes ocean noises. I'm sure the point of that other than to keep silence away. That wasn't too bad, I guess. It just kind of makes me want to go home more. Normally, after going to the Capitol, I'm promised the return home, to see the beach and the ocean, to see my family and friends, to walk the same paths I always walk. I'm not getting that again. But, Katniss comes back. It's like I depend on her now and I kind of do. She's the only other person here that I have a slight interest in talking to. Beetee offers to give me more lessons with the trident, but I turn them down, even though he sends an entry pass to my room. I find Katniss as soon as I can to tell her about the bit of news concerning today.

"Beetee thinks he's found a way to break into the feed nationwide so that our propos will air in the Capitol, too. He's down working on it in Special Defense now. There's live programming tonight. Snow's making an appearance or something. I think it's starting." The Capitol seal shows up. President Snow looks down upon us with Peeta next to him. I grab Katniss' hand, seeing her worry spread across her face. Peeta talks about why this needs to stop. I agree but we can't stop. We won't stop until this is finished, until no more Games take place, until we can run our own country.

"He did it! Beetee broke in!" Plutarch shouts when Katniss appears on the screen. It's not for long and we see Peeta, confused and trying to get back on track.

"Katniss," he says, "how do you think this will end? What will be left? No one is safe. Not in the Capitol. Not in the districts. And you…in Thirteen…dead by morning!" He says.

"End it!" Someone on screen sharply says. Beetee throws up another clip of Katniss, but it cuts back to the Capitol.

The camera is knocked down. The white floor is soon splattered with blood after a scream and stampede of boots.

**Well, some of you may have been able to figure this out, but this story is not ending this week! I was seriously underestimating how much stuff happened in Mockingjay that Finnick is a part of and we haven't even gotten to the Annie reunion, the wedding, the mind blowing propo. I don't have another end date, but probably some time in mid-July. And just so everyone knows, next week I will be on vacation with no wifi, so no new chapters. Don't think I've abandoned this! I hope to get at least two more chapters up this week. **

**Thanks for reading and make sure to review! :)**


	63. Chapter 63

The rest of the room goes into a panic around me. But Haymitch manages to rise above them all with shouts of "Shut up! It's not some big mystery! The boy's telling us we're about to be attacked, here, in Thirteen." Questions arose from all sides, voices I haven't even heard.

"They're beating him bloody while we speak. What more do you need? Katniss, help me out here!" Haymitch shouts in frustration.

"Haymitch's right. I don't know where Peeta got the information or if it's true but he believes it is and they're-" she stops, not able to finish.

"You don't know him. We do. Get your people ready," Haymitch commands them. Coin speaks next.

"Of course, we have prepared for such a scenario. Although we have decades of support for the assumption that further direct attacks on Thirteen would be counterproductive to the Capitol's cause. Nuclear missiles would release radiation into the atmosphere, with incalculable environmental results. Even routine bombing could badly damage our military compound, which we know they hope to regain. And, of course, they invite a counterstrike. It is conceivable that, given our current alliance with the rebels, those would be viewed as acceptable risks."

"You think so?" Haymitch says. I think the both of us feel the same way about Coin. There is something strange about her.

"I do. At any rate, we're overdue for a Level Five security drill. Let's proceed with the lockdown." Then, it begins, the loud sirens unlike anything else I've ever heard. Boggs leads Katniss and I out of Command and into a wide stairway, where many people have already came towards. We go deeper and deeper and my ears begin to pop. We are told where to go after this, the same letter as our compartment. Katniss is an E, I am a G. We are separated now. I'm alone, which makes the first step easy to make sure everyone has arrived in your room. Done. Then, we go to the supply station and secure one pack for each member and ready the living area.

I find this station fairly easy, considering everyone is there. I just take one pack and empty its contents in my little square. It contains a mattress, bedding, two sets of gray clothing, a toothbrush, a comb, a rope and a flashlight. I make the bed and then return the kit. As I watch, no one else has the rope, but one of my doctors stops by, telling me that in case I should feel the need to do the same tying exercise as before. I guess I still am one of her patients even if from a distance. Some people give me looks as to where I got the rope, but I don't care. I learned to block out other people's emotions toward me a long time ago. This goes on for quite a bit while everyone gets their things ready and I tie my rope.

"Thank you everyone for your exemplary evacuation of the upper levels. This is not a drill, we repeat not a drill. Peeta Mellark, District 12 victor, has possibly made a televised reference to an attack on 13 tonight." Coin says over the speaker. She barely has time to sign off before the first bomb hits.

It shakes my insides, just like the explosion in the arena, which seems like years ago, but it was only maybe, what three months? I've lost track of time. The lights go out and I strengthen my grip on the rope. A generator turns on and a little glow of light comes up in the room, like the candles we sometimes have when the waves get really large and crash hard onto the land, snapping down the electric wires. A baby cries from far away, but something shuts it up immediately, right after the second cry.

"Apparently, Peeta Mellark's information was sound and we owe him a great debt of gratitude. Sensors indicate the first missile was not nuclear, but very powerful. We expect more will follow. For the duration of the attack, citizens are to stay in their assigned areas unless otherwise notified," Coin says over the speaker. Then, more silence follows.

Four more bombs over the rest of the night arrive. They are so spread out that you find comfort for a moment, and then the next one knocks you over. Coin doesn't speak about these though, just another one of her assistants tells us that they aren't nuclear, just powerful, four times over. Sometimes we are allowed to get up and move, so I take little walks around the perimeter, but no one says a word to me. I'm given food and time to bathe, so I guess my little adventure in solitude isn't that bad.

Except for the solitude part.

**This will be the last chapter for a week or so because I'm going on vacation without Internet or free time. I have not abandoned this story! Hopefully you all review and blow up my inbox :) Seriously, do it and thanks for reading! **


	64. Chapter 64

Late in the night while I'm tying my rope, Katniss sneaks over to visit me and tell me about Snow's plan to break her, something I've already figured out.

"This is what they're doing to you with Annie, isn't it?" she asks.

"Well, they didn't arrest her because they thought she'd be a wealth of rebel information. They know I'd never have risked telling her anything like that for her own protection," I answer.

"Oh, Finnick. I'm so sorry," she says.

"No, I'm sorry that I didn't warn you somehow," I tell her.

"You did warn me, though, on the hovercraft. Only when you said they'd use Peeta against me, I thought you meant like bait to lure me into the Capitol somehow," she lets me know.

"I shouldn't have said that. It was too late for it to be of any help to you since I hadn't warned you before the Quarter Quell, I should've shut up about how Snow operates." I straighten out the rope. "It's just that I didn't understand when I met you. After your first Games, I thought the whole romance was an act on your part. We all expected you'd continue that strategy but it wasn't until Peeta hit the force field and nearly died that I-"

"That you what?"

"That I knew I'd misjudged you. That you do love him. I'm not saying in what way. Maybe you don't know yourself but anyone paying attention could see how much you care about him." After that it is silence and I wonder if I said something wrong. Maybe she's trying to get over Peeta and doesn't want to hear about how much she really does like him. Maybe she doesn't want to confirm it for herself.

"How do you bear it?" she finally asks.

"I don't, Katniss! Obviously, I don't. I drag myself out of nightmares each morning and find there's no relief in waking. Better not to give in to it. It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart," I say. "The more you can distract yourself, the better. First thing tomorrow, we'll get you your own rope. Until then, take mine." I hand her the rope after untying all of my knots. I'm not sure if I will get to sleep tonight without it, so I decide not to even try. I don't want to see any more nightmares and if that means requesting more coffee in the morning, then that is what I'll do.

I spend the rest of the day just sitting there, trying to think about something pre-games. The first games.

Those days include Daniel and Noah, when we didn't have to worry about my victorship. We had people who trained for this, so there was really no reason to worry. Our life just consisted of school, coming home for a little, and then playing on the boats until late at night. Almost every night we watched the sun set, the pink color filling up the sky.

I didn't realize how much I took that for granted until I was forced to leave that behind. In the arena, the sun never sets. It just gets dark.

As kids, we were told the darkness was the scary time of the day. You couldn't see what was coming up behind you.

The arena said that the daylight was equally as violent – sometimes more.

As kids, we were told that winning the games was an honor only achieved by the lucky.

The aftermath of the arena says that what comes after is sometimes worse than what happens.

I made it out of the arena killing five people. Five deaths that I caused, not even counting the ones I witnessed. And yes, maybe with time, I could've gotten over that, maybe just a little bit. But that is just the beginning of the Capitol's torture. I can only wonder about Johanna, who killed more than that, or even Katniss. I've seen how Johanna handles it, like she doesn't have care, but she has dark moments too.

My mind wonders over there, what is happening to her and Annie. But, that hurts too much.

The last time I had a happy moment was probably age 14. I'm now 24. Ten years ago this journey through hell started.

I'm not going to lie – the amount of times when I wished it all would've ended then or now or last year are countless. All of this hurts so much. I'm sick of it. But, it would only make things worse. So, I have to keep going.

I feel numb. I don't really know what else I can do.

But, like always, morning comes and we are dismissed. I clean up and then leave the small little bunker that I hope never to return to again. Dark things happened there.

Thankfully, I'm rushed away before the darkness returns to the Command center with Katniss and Gale.

"We need all four of you suited up and aboveground. You have two hours to get footage showing the damage from the bombing, establish that Thirteen's military unit remains not only functional but dominant, and most important, that the Mockingjay is still alive. Any questions?" Coin says.

"Can we have coffee?" I ask, true to what I thought. We are given large cups of the black coffee, which I add sugar too. When I see Katniss' disgusted face at her face sip, I add some cream for her.

"Want a sugar cube?" I ask. Then I realize the reference to the old days before the Games. "Here, it improves the taste."

We all go off to get dressed up, Katniss more than me. I've downed an entire cup of the coffee by then. I ask for more, and then let me go to the dining hall. When I come back, the Command center is gone, so I let myself aboveground. I see a few scattered roses – Snow. Ugh. Katniss is just staring at the camera, empty. I give her a quick thumbs up.

"What's wrong with her?" Plutarch says.

"She's figured out how Snow's using Peeta," I say. Everyone sighs. She wasn't supposed to know, but she figured it out anyway. She isn't stupid. Then, she calls out for Haymitch and they have a little talk. It reminds me of what Mags would do, so I look away, but not before thinking that Katniss probably changed Haymitch more than she changed me. He's not even drinking anymore. I've lost it though and now I'm crying so much, they knock me out with a sedative.

When I wake up, I'm told of the plan to get Annie and Peeta out. But, I'm mostly excited about the possibility of seeing Annie again. I'm also told that Gale is a touchy subject with Katniss now that he is gone.

"If we can get it in the next few hours, Beetee can air it leading up to the rescue and maybe keep the Capitol's attention elsewhere," Haymitch tells us of the mission.

"Yes, a distraction, a decoy of sorts," I say.

"What we really need is something so riveting that even President Snow won't be able to tear himself away. Got anything like that?" Haymitch asks.

Yes, I did. Something so riveting that I couldn't even pull myself away from thinking about it. It was time to come clean, tell the world about everything. My one last attempt to convince people. Maybe it would help to say it in the open for the first time rather than just keeping it all bottled up inside.

I guess I have to spend my payment somehow.

I'm giving all my secrets away.

**I'm back! Who else is excited for next chapter? I know this one is quite dark and the next one will be too. Let me know your thoughts on this chapter by reviewing! **


	65. Chapter 65

**Here we go… *deep breath***

As Katniss is wrapping up with her quite touching story, Plutarch calls me over.

"You got anything?" He asks me. Haymitch has now joined us, I guess because he is taking over as leader while everyone else is gone.

"Yes. I would like to tell about my time as a…well, you know…" I'm unable to say the words, but they all get it.

"Are you sure? It's all up to you," Plutarch asks.

"Yes. If it will help Annie," I protest.

"Finnick, if you do this, you will be more under fire than ever. We don't want to anger anyone," Haymitch says. "You can't take back anything that you say."

"I know, Haymitch. But the Capitol is collapsing right now; this could help nail in the coffin. Besides, people deserve to know, now more than ever. And, it will definitely get the attention of Snow."

"In a negative way," Haymitch reminds me.

"We already did that."

"I think he should do it, but only if he really wants too," Plutarch puts in.

"Fine," Haymitch sighs and heads back over behind the camera. "You don't have to do this," he reminds me. I walk over to the chair and take a seat.

"Yes, I do, if it will help her. I'm ready," I say. Someone hands me my rope. I take a deep breath.

"President Snow used to…sell me…my body, that is. I wasn't the only one. If a victor is considered desirable, the president gives them as a reward or allows people to buy them as a reward for an exorbitant amount of money. If you refuse, he kills someone you love. So you do it." I say. It hurts, but I must keep going.

"I wasn't the only one, but I was the most popular and perhaps the most defenseless, because the people I loved were so defenseless. To make themselves feel better, my patrons would make presents of money or jewelry, but I found a much more valuable form of payment." I pause for a moment, dramatic effect.

"Secrets. And this is where you're going to want to stay tuned, President Snow, because so very many of them were about you. But let's begin with some of the others. Oh, so many people were using me as a tool, to see if they really liked being with men. The worst was when I would come out of the room, exhausted, embarrassed, and see another one of my fellow victors waiting outside for the same person. It was terribly awkward the first time it happened until I got to the training center the first time and realized that this happened so often, it didn't really bother anyone else.

This is just the beginning, though. After this, let's talk about those who were using me to make their lover jealous, especially a one Marilyn Porcelein and then again with Belle Firefly and her husband, Cecil. I heard their stories about the fighting and the cheating the entire time. Others just simply wanted me because they could. They had enough money and made sure that everyone saw them, with me following limply along, waltzing through hotel lobbies and elevators and streets. Want specifics? Just talk to Cicely, or Dutchess, or Beyonce, or Giselle. I'm sure they'd love to have you in their big fancy mansions, giving money to whoever they wanted, whenever they wanted, to get anything they wanted.

And, the deepest of the casual secret was murder. Yes, this takes place quite frequently I've found. Oh, where shall I start? Let's talk about recently killed Brody, yes this man did not die of the presumed heart attack which I'm sure you have all heard about. This plot I knew of quite long ago. You've probably already guessed this cause of this murder, the dueling twins Pearl and Ruby. I found out about the entire plan straight from their mouths in the middle of the night, the smell of alcohol extremely present.

Why didn't I tell someone, anyone about Brody? Because who would believe me? I was just a tribute from the districts. No one believed anyone would actually kill someone else. That was for the arena, and the tributes from the districts.

And now, on to our good President Coriolanus Snow, such a young man when he rose to power, such a clever one to keep it. How, you must ask yourself, did he do it? One word. That's all you really need to know. Poison.

It starts really with his father and the succession. The first President Snow only lived the first couple of years of Panem. I'm sure that if there was a vote, the son would've won. But, that didn't occur because of the sudden death of the first Snow's very best friend – his wife. What timely demise! Our Coriolanus Snow was 28 when he assumed this position but as most jobs do in the capitol, he had been training for this since he was around 17.

The Capitol has academies for all of the major positions – escorts, politicians. For the length of Snow's time at the academy, he was known for his quick changes in ranks. Academies don't work like schools, students can be promoted at any time to any level. Snow escalated up the first three levels in two years, and then completed the next four in another three. After that, everyone considered him a prodigy. But, that wasn't really how this all went down. So, what did he actually do to climb up these levels?

Poison, yes poison. He poisoned the students in the upper levels to open another spot there. He poisoned the students who were better than him. He even went as far to poison those teachers who didn't like him or give him good grades.

Once he became president, the poison became even more frequently used. Snow got rid of absolutely anyone who posed a threat to him. Seneca Crane? Poison. Think about all your close friends. Have any strange disappearances? You can probably bet it was poison. But, now, you may be asking, wouldn't someone notice people dropping like flies?

Well, no. Many types of poison exist for a man of such high power. In fact, Snow often poisoned the same people who made it for him so they wouldn't tell of his secret, or so he thought. Some worked slowly, over time. Others happened quickly, adding a little bit of suspense to his long awaited dinner feasts. Some poisons even made people insane, which explains why the doctor was never able to tell what happened correctly. Bad shellfish, viruses, aorta weaknesses? Nope, that would be poison. The craziest part is that no one knew because even Snow would drink the same cup, eat from the same platter. His death never happened because of antidotes, made by the same person who made the poison. However, antidotes have a strange odor and don't always work.

That is why Snow smells like roses. It's a perfume, meant to hide the scent of blood from the sores in his mouth that will never heal.

Who's next? Oh, it could be a lot of people; it may very well be you. He has a list, you know. I've heard some of the names. Within a month, those people no longer live.

The Capitol is a place not only filled with glamour, but with deep mystery and scandal. If I were you, I wouldn't trust anyone. And, for your own sake, watch out for Snow's parties. It may be the last you attend." I'm finished, but they don't turn off the camera, too in shock for that.

"Cut."

**This chapter...I don't really even know what to say here. But, I hope you liked it, I hope I did Finnick and his terrible situation justice, and pleaseeeeeee review! **

**What's up next? Flashback to something I've never written before in this story and something that relates a lot to this chapter. **

**We are so close to the end, guys :(**


	66. Chapter 66

**This is a flashback thing, as I said in the last chapter. This chapter deals with Finnick's 'work.' I don't go into any detail about the actual situation (this is mostly just what happens before and the telling of the secret), but it is alluded to in a couple of sentences (he calls it 'work', 'service', etc). If you don't want to read this for content reasons, it won't affect the next chapters. Just putting this out there so you know what this is. **

I took the midnight train to the Capitol for two reasons. Reason number one – no one would know I was gone and I didn't want them to know. Reason number two – according to my clients, being fashionably late is my trademark. I call it I don't want to be there anyway, so I try to cut down on the time.

Once I arrive in the Capitol by the empty train, I have to head to the hotel. There is only one very small hotel in the Capitol because they really have no reason for it, except to accommodate people in my position and the occasional district governor who has to come do business here. That hasn't happened for twenty years.

I head down the hallways slowly, my hands in my pockets. It's a dingy place. The sign from outside is probably the only one that doesn't flash neon colors and shoot fireworks off every thirty minutes. The carpets are an ugly red color underneath all the splotches of wine and other things I don't even want to know about. They probably have a rat problem too, but no one would ever let that information leak. The elevator is broken, so I have to walk up three flights of stairs, dreading every step.

Thirty minutes. Three of which I've wasted because of the trademark. Thirty minutes, twice a month, to protect my family, friends, and Annie. One hour. That's what I give for protection to everyone else. Not me. I do this to protect others. Cashmere slides down the stairs, past me, applying a fresh coat of thick red lipstick.

Neither of us say a word. We don't mention these things, not ever. No matter who you see waiting outside, in the room next door, entering the hotel, in the staircase, you never mention it, not ever, to anyone. The first time this happened I was terrified to come into the Capitol for the Games next year. No one even said anything, but I think Johanna knew something was up, because she pulled me out into the hallway and said something I'll never forget.

"Finnick, every single one of us has something going on. It could be drugs, it could be what you do. Some of these people are here every week. Quit freaking out like someone is going to say anything. We do have certain amounts of respect."

She entered back into the room and I stayed out in the hallway for a little while I composed myself enough to go back inside. Ever since, when I see a new victor, I fear for them more than in the arena. Sometimes, it's worse outside. When Rosie died, I was a tad bit relieved. I knew if she won, she would be in the same line of work. She saved herself from that by dying in the arena.

It feels like little pieces of me, internally, are dying every time I go up these stairs. I take a deep breath, shake my hair out like I was requested to, and entered into the dimly lit hallway. Friday nights certainly were popular around here. It was always a Friday when I got called up and then my entire weekend would be ruined. By Monday, I tended to have suppressed the memory enough to wake up, go to work, and try to conduct a somewhat normal life.

There was a scream from one of the rooms, not a sexy sounding thing. Someone was probably getting murdered or suffering from poison. Either way, I would probably find out by the end of the night.

I met the woman outside of room 323. Like normal Capitol citizens, she dressed up for the occasion. The top half of her hair was a bright pink, the bottom a creamsicle orange. Her eyelashes had to be fake and they were coated in an orange color that matched her hair. Her dress was what would be called a 'cupcake' with pink and white lining at the bottom. I didn't bother to learn her name. It was best to avoid those things in these situations. Names make people relatable. She pulled a thick stack of cash out of her pocket in the dress. I pushed it aside.

"I don't accept cash as a form of payment," I tell her. When she speaks to me, I can feel the alcohol heavy on her breath.

"Then how can I pay you?" She breathes. Capitol citizens have a funny accent, kind of thick and guttural. It sounds terrible when they are drunk.

"All I want from you is a secret," I answer. She hastily grabs my collar and pulls me into the room, throwing me on the bed and lying beside me. When she leans in, I pull back and stand up away from her.

"No payment, no service," I tell her in the most demanding voice I can summon up.

"You want to hear about room 301?" She asks, rolling her rs. "That man in there just got poisoned, by Snow, actually. I'm almost sure his wife, Marina, took him here in order to get him out of the house. Probably thinks it's a disease. He'll be dead soon."

"What's his name?"

"Brody, pretty important. All the people seem to like him. He was sure to be a shoo in for the head gamemaker next year. Heard now it's some guy named Seneca. No idea why someone would name their kid that," she scoffs. I kind of want to know her name now. It's probably something worse than that.

"Are you good now? Enough payment?" She asks, growing impatient.

"Yeah, sure. Twenty minutes," I say, setting the timer on my watch. She reaches up and pulls me down with her. I sure hope she works fast. For those twenty minutes, I turn into an emotionless, unfeeling, empty robot that she uses.

When I leave, Gloss is waiting outside. We don't make eye contact. The street is filled with people, which isn't strange for this time of the day.

Brody, I guess, is being carried out on a stretcher. The smell of blood lingers in the air as I head to the train station, ready to go home.

**Okay, let me know what you think! This was hard to write, but I hope you enjoyed it. Make sure to review! Thank you all for reading! I hope to get the next chapter up before Friday.**


	67. Chapter 67

I've always hated waiting, but the amount that I have to do it doesn't get any smaller. Now, I'm back to the waiting game. This time, I'm waiting for news about the mission that went into the Capitol to save Annie, and of course, Peeta and Johanna. I'm excited for them to come back, even though my hopes aren't very high. I've been told many a time that it will be hard to get everyone in and out alive. I just hope that my story helped Annie to get out in time.

First, we have to go to special defense class. It's just like the old days in elementary school, when all I wanted was to go outside and play. School seemed to drag on. This class also does as well. I know I should be paying attention, but the situation has taken away all of my focus. When class is over, it's around lunchtime. We head down to the cafeteria, but don't eat anything. Today's soup is left uneaten, just pushed around in the bowl. It's another instance of knowing I should eat, but I don't get the want to eat. So, I don't.

We head downstairs to the shooting range. Since everyone else is at lunch, we have first choice. For some reason, blowing things up seems to help with the waiting. We spend time launching grenades through the barrier. I don't really like the explosions. After this part of training is through, we bring out the ropes and start making knots.

Katniss asks if any updates have come in. We decided she should ask because she's at a higher power position than I am. She comes back with bad news. The team isn't allowed to update in case they get detected. Finally, it's time to head into Beetee's lab. For the next sixty minutes, we watch as my story mostly is told. It's strange to see myself on television, something I've never really liked. Beetee is keeping the channel in control. This is good. It means the Capitol is too distracted to even try to get rid of the interruption on the television. I can only hope that the distraction isn't the group pulling Annie out.

"If they're not out of there by now, they're all dead. It was a good plan, though. Did Plutarch show it to you?" Beetee asks, once all the clips have run through. Beetee then leads us into another room, decorated to look like a prison. As he goes through the steps, it's hard to follow.

After that, we head to Command, figuring it's our best chance to get the information first. We wait in two chairs off in a corner, tying knots. It seems like days go by, but it's probably only a couple of hours. I give up once my fingers start bleeding. Annie wouldn't like that.

"Did you love Annie right away, Finnick?" Katniss asks me, holding up a noose she made.

"No. She crept up on me," I tell her, pausing between statements.

"They're back. We're wanted in the hospital," Haymitch says, bursting through the doors. The clock above says it's midnight. I'm so shocked I just sit there. Katniss takes my hand and leads me through the hallways. A gurney passes by us. Even though her skin is bruised and her hair gone, I would know that face anywhere. It's Johanna. My heart drops for her. This could've been me.

"Finnick! Finnick!" Annie shouts, another voice I would know screaming from a mile away. My attention is thrown from Johanna's bruised condition to Annie. Her dark hair is tangled. She runs into my arms and we just hold each other for a long, long time. I had settled with never seeing her again, but now she is back with me. I'm transported back to a time when I hadn't been in the arena for a second time, when I wasn't thinking that the Capitol would kill me soon, when Annie hadn't been tortured, when I was perfectly okay with accepting the fact that district thirteen was no longer existent. All of the waiting I've endured seems okay because now, I'm finally with Annie. And that's all that matters now.

"Finnick, Annie has to go to treatment now," Plutarch gently says, appearing next to us. I slowly let Annie go, staring into her green eyes that remind me so much of home it hurts. Annie follows Plutarch and I follow Annie, all the way down the hospital hallway until they won't let me enter into her room. I watch her from the small window in the door, now alone in the hallway. I cross over and look through that window too. It's Johanna, veins pumping morphling to her.

"What's happening at home?" I ask Plutarch. He's leaving Annie's room, closing the door gently behind him.

"Four is in full scale rebellion. Two boys, Daniel and Noah, are leading it. Not many deaths there. Your family is okay," Plutarch explains. I sigh when I hear about Daniel and Noah. They shouldn't have been doing that, but I can see why. I'm proud of them.

"What about seven?"

"Same. Johanna will take longer to recover than Annie. She paid terribly for what she knew," Plutarch says.

"I know," I cut him off. "Can you bring me dinner? And maybe a chair?"

"Finnick, the kitchen's been closed for hours," he says, sounding sad to deliver the news.

"Breakfast then? I haven't eaten," I tell him. Plutarch nods, promising food, and heads off down the hallway. I hear whispers about Peeta and Katniss at the other end, but I don't bother to figure out what's going on. I'm staying right here, between my lover and my best friend. Maybe I'll figure out what happened tomorrow.

But for now, I'm staying right here.


	68. Chapter 68

**I'm writing this just after seeing the Catching Fire trailer for the first time and Finnick and Johanna and the perfection, so my mental stability isn't the best right now, but here we go! Also, at the end, I'm going to be talking a lot more about the STUNNNING, AMAZING, EPIC trailer, but here's Finnick for now. **

I'm not allowed to see Annie for three days. That's how long it will take them to make sure her physical and mental conditions are okay, to make sure she isn't taking back a recording device or tracker, to get any information they can out of her, to see what really happened behind the doors. I hear some of their questions when I press my ear to the door. They are polite about it, polite as you can be when asking someone about their torture. Annie's responses are fumbled, weak, and incomplete or nonexistent. From the little I hear, put together with the parts I overheard, Annie got the least of it because she was neither in the games nor took part in the rebellion that occurred there. She didn't really know anything. They questioned her about me, if I had told her anything. I know they tried to use what I did for them against me, seeing if Annie could turn to their side. She didn't. When the theory is presented to me that Annie used her mental instability to get away with not knowing things or phasing out to avoid torture, it makes me a little proud. Somewhere inside is Annie, an Annie harden by the turmoil of war, but Annie nonetheless.

Johanna's door doesn't budge. No noises are heard, just the low beeping of a monitor reminding everyone in the hallway that she is still inside, heart still beating, slowly but surely. I want to talk to her, to see just how terribly she was harmed. Sometimes, I don't think the face wheeling by me was really her. Johanna, the untouchable, the dominating, has been broken down by the hands of the Capitol. The image has been burned into my mind.

I haven't seen Peeta. Katniss was allowed to see him though, almost immediately. What happened in there is one of the reasons I'm not allowed to see Annie, although we've already had contact. Katniss has left for District two. I wouldn't blame her. If Annie tried to choke me, well, I don't even know what I'd do. Run? Give up?

My nights are spent in the hard, plastic chair that Plutarch gave me. The hallways are always warm in the hospital wing and I have no personal belongings, so my chair is enough. Meals are always brought to me, another request that no one could possibly refuse. Every day, a couple minutes before assigned meal, a young girl brings my food up on a tray. I get coffee at every meal, a nice touch, I think added by that very girl.

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't eat, but then I remember how upset Annie would be if she noticed that. So, I eat, and take quick showers to make sure I don't miss any news. When doctors go in and out, I've even found a perfect angle at which I can briefly catch a glimpse of her, lying on the hospital bed.

One day, someone goes into Johanna's room. A doctor. She doesn't leave for a long time.

On the morning of the third day, I eat my breakfast quickly and then eagerly wait outside the door. Even though I'm fully aware she has to do another final round of tests before I can be let in, I'm out of the chair and pacing in front of the door for hours.

"Finnick? You can see her now," the doctor says, opening the door just a crack to avoid hitting me. I slip through, trying to contain my excitement.

"Finn," she whispers. I cross the room quickly and stand by her bedside. She's not injured or harmed in any physical way, not like Johanna. A couple of patches of hair are gone, a cut by her eye, and her lip busted open. When her arm slips out from under the blanket to grab my hand, I notice her nails are almost gone where she chewed on them and her arm has bruises and cuts up and down.

"I'll leave you two alone for a minute while I run the reports through. If you should need anything, just hit the button," the doctor says. He collects his folder from one of the two same plastic chairs I have and nods toward the button on the wall, close enough to Annie's bed should she need it.

"I've missed you so much," I tell her, unable to find any better words for how I feel. She nods, silent.

"Finn, don't leave. Please?" Annie says, her eyes locking with mine. Through everything, they still have the same color and spirit I first saw in the candy shop. I squeeze her hand tighter.

"Of course not. I love you," I promise.

"I love you too," she whispers, before she slips back under the effects of the morphling pumped into her. I don't leave though, not even when the doctor comes in and hours pass. She asked me to not to.

I wouldn't have dreamed of it anyway.

**This trailer...just so perfect. Effie's crying, Katniss' crying, the Mockingjay dress, and Prim's brillance, and the Victor's Village, and sad Peeta. JUST EVERYTHING! This was my favorite book in the series, so I'm super happy that Francis Lawrence did an amazing job with it. All the little details are just so amazing. I want to know what you thought, so leave it in your review or message me!**

**Anyway, this chapter. Please review! **


	69. Chapter 69

I stay by Annie's bedside at all times for the next couple of days. She wakes up every so often from her sleep. I was told that she would need to take it easy while she got back to having a steady diet and getting the required amount of sleep. Johanna's door began to open and close more often, which I hoped was a good sign. Doctors were always running in and out; I could hear them talking outside, but whenever they came in here, they shut up, a bad sign. I didn't really know what to think.

Like I said, Annie was getting progressively better. The amount of morphine that she was getting decreased by the day. A doctor used to pry for answers about what happened in the Capitol, but she refused to answer. She didn't say much anyway and I doubted she would tell a totally random stranger about what happened in her dark cell.

"Finnick?" Plutarch asked, poking his head through the door.

"What?" I moaned, really not hoping he would ask me to leave.

"Can you please step outside for just a moment? She's not going anywhere," he says. I get up and head outside. The other end of the wing has quieted down a bit, but doctors are still everywhere. "Some of the others went to District 2. Gale, Katniss. I'm sorry we didn't ask, but we figured we already knew the answer."

"You were right on that one," I tell him.

"That's where they are now, but they should be back soon. I'm sure you are wanting a status update on your friends?" Plutarch asks. I nod, impatient, holding back from noting that Annie is way more than just a friend.

"Johanna has finally woken up from her heavy sedation. Right now, they are trying to figure out what happened and how much she disclosed. The only way she does this though is if she keeps getting more morphine, which we are allowing for now. Don't worry though, we will prevent her becoming a morphling. As soon as this part is over, we will start reducing her supply again," he explains. I nod.

"Can I see her?" I ask him. He purses his lips, considering.

"Not right now Finnick. Maybe later tonight," he answers. "I should probably check with the doctors before confirming."

"And Annie?" I ask him. He said he would tell me, so I just say it as a friendly reminder.

"Annie is almost perfect. She should be ready to leave the hospital wing tomorrow morning, which was actually the main point of what I came to tell you. Do you want her to share your room? We can give her her own if she wishes it," Plutarch asks. Right now, I'm not spending much of my time in my room, but in Katniss'. Mine is small though.

"I think you should probably ask her, but I'm okay if she wants to be with me," I say. It's the obvious answer and the only one I could possibly imagine myself giving.

"Great! How's training coming?" Plutarch asks, jotting something down on his little screen he carries everywhere.

"I haven't actually been in a while," I confess. He shakes his head.

"I would love for you to be in on a special project we've got coming up. May I suggest going back to training rather soon?"

"Right on it. I'll pick up again tomorrow." A doctor comes out of Johanna's room and Plutarch goes over to speak with him. I guess I'm done here. I'm about ready to head into Annie's room when Plutarch waves me over.

"He's said that it is alright to see Johanna. They aren't sure how she'll react because she is your first visitor, so a doctor will have to be in your room," Plutarch explains. I just nod.

"We're running a final check before lunch. After you're done eating, she'll be ready for you," the doctor says before heading down to Peeta's room.

"Should I call lunch up for you?" Plutarch asks. After all, this is what I've been doing the past couple of days.

"No. I think I'll go down and get it. Can I have a note?" I ask. Notes are required because I'm not of the highest standing like he is, although I doubt Coin actually lets him do much. He scribbles something on a pink pad and rips the sheet off.

I head down to the food court and run through the line, showing everyone that I pass my pink paper. I don't really know who to give it too. I also make sure to explain that I'm bringing lunch up to Annie, but everyone seems to have already known or figured that out for themselves. I take the two trays back upstairs and into Annie's room, placing hers on the bedside table.

"I get to see Johanna today," I tell her.

"The girl from 7?" Annie asks in her faint little voice that hasn't quite recovered yet.

"Yep. She's in the room across the hall."

"I know."

"Katniss, the girl with the bow and arrow, is here too. So is the boy, Peeta, but he's not recovering well. Beetee, from 3, is making incredible weapons. I can't wait to show you my trident that I'm training with," I tell her.

"What about Mags?" she asks, not knowing how much it hurts me to hear her name. I don't know if she didn't watch the games or wasn't fully there for them, but I try to answer in the best possible way.

"She died in the arena with me," I say quietly. Annie nods. She gets the point.

"Home?"

"I've been told that our families are okay, so are Daniel and Noah. They are going strong." After that, we eat in silence. I get up, explain that I'm going to see Johanna now, and leave the room. I wait outside Johanna's room until I'm allowed to inside. The same doctor invites me in and says that he will be staying in the room with us, even though he already explained that.

"Johanna," I whisper when I enter. Her face is still bruised in places, she has lots of scars, patches of hair are gone, and she is so thin and pale.

"Hey Mr. Finnick," she replies. Still calling me that after all this time. It's incredible, really. She doesn't attempt to strangle me, so I step closer. "Long time, no see. What was it, on that beach?"

"Yeah, I think so," I answer. She grabs my arm with her hand and shakes me a little bit.

"Lighten up! I'm fully alive," she says. I look at the doctor in the corner, who just simply nods.

"What's wrong?" Johanna asks after I've not said anything for a few minutes.

"I've just been thinking."

"About?" I still don't say anything. She looks over at the doctor and raises her eyebrows. If looks could speak, her's would be telling him to get out of the room. He obeys.

"Annie. It's just…I don't want to lose her again, and we don't know what's going to happen, so I've been thinking…"

"Yes," Johanna says.

"Yes to what?" I ask her.

"Yes, you should propose. We all knew it was coming," she tells me, picking at the thin sheets on the bed. "I just wish I would be there to see it."

"I can wait, until you get out of here," I offer. Johanna is my best friend, going through all my worst times with me. It's only fair that she be there for my best.

"Odair, I may never get out of here. Just do it, but be prepared with a good long list of adjectives." I laugh. It feels kind of strange. I haven't laughed in a while. It feels more good than strange though. "How long are you going to wait?"

"Maybe tomorrow, when she moves in. I'll have to ask Plutarch," I say.

"Finnick," she sighs, "quit asking and just do it. Especially in the face of authority." We talk for a while longer until Johanna looks up to her counter. "It's time for more drugs to get fed to me. See you tomorrow?"

"Definitely, with a dictionary in hand," I say as I leave. The doctor is waiting outside, not even trying to look interested. "She said she is ready for more morphling."

The next morning, Annie is dispatched from the hospital wing. I lead her out of her hospital room and take her to mine, using the elevator to access the floor. I grab her hand and lead her down the twisting hallways to our room. Once we are there, I take a deep breath. I'm not nervous though. I've never been so sure about anything in my life.

Outside the door, I drop down to one knee. Annie remains quiet. I take both her hands in mine and ask the question.

"Annie Cresta, will you marry me?"

**Yeah, it's happening! Johanna's back too! I like this chapter; it's so much happier than the others. My new story, the Life and Story of Foxface, is up and the first chapter has been posted. I would love for you all to check it out and review :)**

**Thanks for reading and make sure to review this story, too! **


	70. Chapter 70

Plutarch plans the wedding quickly after clearing it with Coin, who put up quite a protest. She didn't like the idea of a big celebration. Plutarch pushed and pushed though until she gave in. After that, we had to tell Plutarch exactly about what normally happened at weddings in four. We requested that it should have the same traditions. I was happy that my friends from other districts could be there, but I did miss Daniel and Noah's presence. As for other things, everything was pushed together quickly.

Annie went off with Katniss to 12 in order to pick out a dress. The next day, I had a fitting. The prep team had brought back some of Peeta's suits without being asked to. It was rather sharp of them. Katniss has an amazing prep team. The one they thought would fit me best definitely did even though they had only seen me a few times. They rushed off with it, promising to make it look different.

"Are you okay with us filming the wedding?" Plutarch asks after they leave. "For a propo? It would be really great to show the Capitol that we are still celebrating." He's anxious. This was probably how he convinced Coin to let us celebrate. I don't want to make him more nervous about doing this for us.

"Of course. Anything I can do to help," I tell him. I don't want anything else to be asked of us though, so I slip past him and head back to my room. Annie hasn't moved in yet, but has taken up space in Johanna's room. Johanna protested us living together until the wedding, mumbling something about how this should be done traditionally even though we are living in an underground bunker. I didn't interrupt to tell her that wasn't the way we did it in 4. Must be a 7 thing.

Like I said, this entire planning process went so fast it was basically nonexistent. It was decided that is should occur on the very next day. That meant I was a nervous wreck for the few hours before it happened. What if something went wrong and the ceremonies weren't correct? What if Annie phases out? What if something happened to my suit when the prep team had it? What if I spill something on myself? This keeps me up all night, asking what ifs.

On the day of the wedding, a mock prep team comes into help me. They are all from 13 because I've never seen them before and they don't look like Capitol people. The prep team didn't change much with my suit, just changed the trim, ripped a pocket off, and tailored it a little bit better. Still, it could be an entirely different suit.

I'm allowed time to shower and dress in the suit. The team doesn't really have any idea what they are doing. It makes me even more nervous, so I shoo them out politely. They've left behind makeup products and a hairbrush. I don't really want to put on too much, so I just run the brush through my hair and add a little bit of bronzer to my face. It looks like I still have my natural tan glow. Tabia used to use this; that's how I know what I'm doing.

"Are we ready?" Haymitch calls from outside, pounding on the door. I run to pull it open. Haymitch is also dressed nicer than usual.

"It's time already?" I ask.

"I wouldn't be knocking if it wasn't. Are you ready?" Haymitch repeats.

"I think so."

"Then we best be going." Haymitch leads me down through the empty hallways. Everyone has gathered in the cafeteria, where we will be holding the wedding. He stops outside the doors to speak to me. "Good luck or whatever you say before these things."

"Thank you," I answer. I pull open the door and Haymitch and I head inside. Everyone is sitting on opposite sides of the aisle, which starts just in front of the door. I walk up slowly, taking in everyone's faces. There are no fake smiles, just totally real ones on every face. Johanna and Katniss sit at the very front. A man from 10 is going to be doing the vows.

I step up onto the platform, which is just a wooden board they found. Annie comes through the doors next. She's beautiful in a green dress that makes her eyes shine brighter and her hair compliments it perfectly. I'm too caught up in the moment to listen as the vows start. Johanna and Katniss drop the net over our heads as Dalton reads the vows.

"I do," I say when he is finished.

"I do," Annie says. Dalton passes us a small bowl of salt water. I don't know where they possibly could have gotten that from. We both dip of thumbs into the bowl at the same time and then spread the water on each other's lips. Dalton takes the bowl from us. I kiss Annie, pulling her close. We can both remove the net from our heads. The crowd starts singing a song. None of them know what they are doing, stumbling over all the words, but it's a nice attempt.

After that, we have the party. It's probably the most fun I've had in, well, years. We dance all night. Johanna absolutely loves it. Katniss stands in the corner until Johanna drags her in with Prim. Johanna even organizes a special song for just Annie and I. It's actually a song from her district that she taught the band.

A cake is brought in on a cart. It's gorgeous with blue-green icing waves, fish, sailboats, seals, and sea flowers. It's perfect in every way. Even Annie speaks her love for it out loud.

"We need to thank whoever made this," Annie tells me, holding onto my arm.

"Of course," I say, still excited by the decoration. "Plutarch, who made this?" Plutarch comes over to us with a cup in his hands.

"Peeta. He's fantastic, so detailed. It really is beautiful," he answers.

"Send him our thanks," Annie says. Plutarch nods and heads over to talk to someone else. "I don't want to eat it."

"Me either." So, we don't at least for a while. Dancing makes you hungry though. We pick around the more intricate parts. The party winds down after a while. Schedules can't get pushed back forever. We all slowly leave from the party after cleaning up. After rolling out all the tables, we then head out. The hallways are now filled with laughter.

Annie and I head into our room at the end of the best day, probably ever.

**Yay, their wedding! We have four more chapters of this story :( Make sure to review! Next chapter is finishing up training and then we are going to the Capitol! **


	71. Chapter 71

For two days, I'm allowed time off from training to spend with Annie, at the protests of Coin. She's really been getting on my nerves lately with all the protesting she's been doing in my relationship. We are allowed to have our meals brought to us in the room, so we take advantage of that. Daniel and Noah video chat us, thanks to Beetee's wiring. Eventually, it's time to get back to real life.

We head downstairs for our first lunch with the group in a while. Katniss, Johanna, Delly, and Gale sit with us. I keep hold of Annie's hand as we walk through the line and get our stew. It's pretty good. I'm in the middle of telling a story about turtles when Peeta comes up.

"Peeta! It's so nice to see you out and about," Delly says, smiling as ever. She reminds me of Rosie.

"What's with the fancy bracelets?" Johanna asks.

"I'm not quite trustworthy yet. I can't even sit here without your permission," Peeta says, nodding to the guards next to him.

"Sure he can sit here. We're old friends. Peeta and I had adjoining cells in the Capitol. We're very familiar with each other's screams," Johanna says. She pulls the chair out for him and Peeta sits. Annie covers her ears. Screaming is not a good topic. I pull her closer to me and give Johanna a look.

"What? My head doctor says I shouldn't censor my thoughts. It's part of my therapy," Johanna says.

"Annie, did you know it was Peeta who designed your wedding cake? Back home, his family ran the bakery and he did all the icing," Delly says to fill the silence.

"Thank you Peeta. It was beautiful," Annie tells him.

"My pleasure, Annie," he responds.

"If we're going to fit in that walk, we'd better go. Good seeing you, Peeta," I say, collecting both of our trays.

"You be nice to her, Finnick. Or I might try and take her away from you," Peeta says. Anger flames up within me. I try to calm myself. He still isn't back to normal yet, although I doubt that would ever happen.

"Oh, Peeta, don't make me sorry I restarted your heart," I say, and storm off.

After that, it's totally back to training. I'm there almost all day, learning about different weapons, how to assemble a gun, all of it. They film me hitting targets, making sure that they show off my special trident. I doubt I will be going on the streets of Panem with one though. It looks good on camera. It is, after all, how I introduced myself to the Capitol and retained my image. Without this weapon, I would be dead. I'm getting along with it pretty well. Somehow, I've managed to stay in shape during all this. I'm put up for the final evaluation before Katniss or Johanna, who I've also seen intensely training.

I'm called in first, which makes waiting a whole lot easier. As soon as I enter, we are on the streets of the Capitol. It seems rather empty. There are no explosions. No guns. No shooters. No other people really. Nothing. It is a totally empty street. Until a woman comes from one of the apartments. She is dressed just like a big pink bird. Not cute at all. Then, I realize what is happening.

She comes up close to me and strokes my jaw with her finger. I can't do this. I know what she wants. She takes me by the collar of my shirt, but I push her off. Behind her is Annie, crying and obviously hurt. I don't know why. Maybe she just saw what happened between me and the strange woman? She has evaporated from the pavement.

The scene shifts. A group is behind me now, huddled in the shadows of a building. My squad. A voice booms over the speakers.

"Mr. Odair, expose you and your squad! Only then will we spare Annie!" Two guns from the opposite sides of the street come down and angle themselves at Annie's head. She will die if I don't do this.

I hold myself back though. I can't let my group get sacrificed. A gun goes off. I don't know what happens next because a man comes to our group. He stamps my hand with my new squad numbers; 451. I've done it.

Boggs is our captain. Katniss joins our group. Gale is also here. I've heard that Johanna has failed and won't get to join any squad. Plutarch begins briefing us on our mission.

"This, for example, is the area surround one of the Peackeepers' barracks. Not unimportant, but not the most crucial of targets, and yet look," Plutarch says. He begins explaining pods. They can contain anything – mutts, bombs.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the seventy sixth Hunger Games begin!" Katniss and I say together. It's just like the arena. It's like I'm going back in for the third time. Hopefully, I don't get to find out if the third time is the charm.

"I don't even know why you bothered to put me and Finnick through training, Plutarch," Katniss says.

"Yeah, we're already the two best equipped soldiers that you have," I add.

"Do not think that fact escapes me. Now back in line soldiers Everdeen and Odair," Plutarch says. He continues rambling on but eventually we get out without being told to 'get back in line' again.

"What am I going to tell Annie?" I ask as we leave.

"Nothing. That's what my mother and sister will be hearing from me," Katniss answers. Sounds good enough, but I'm still worried.

"If she sees that holograph-"

"She won't. It's classified information. It must be. Anyway, it's not like the actual Games. Any number of people will survive. We're just overreacting because well, you know why. You still want to go, don't you?"

"Of course. I want to destroy Snow as much as you do."

"It won't be like the others. This time Snow will be a player too," Katniss says. I have to agree. Haymitch comes up to us then.

"Johanna is back in the hospital," he tells us.

"Is she hurt? What happens?" Katniss asks. I know she failed the exam, but I didn't think it would be this bad. Could they even hurt you?

"It was while she was on the Block. They try to ferret out a soldier's potential weaknesses. So they flooded the street," Haymitch explains.

"So?"

"That's how they tortured her in the Capitol. Soaked her and then used electric soaks. In the Block she had some kind of flashback. Panicked, didn't know where she was. She's back under sedation. You two should go see her. You're as close to friends as she's got," Haymitch explains. "I better go tell Plutarch. He won't be happy. He wants as many victors as possible for the cameras to follow in the Capitol. Thinks it makes for better television."

"Are you and Beetee going?"

"As many young and attractive victors as possible. So no. We'll be here." I head down to visit Johanna right away.

**Double chapters today! So go click on the next one **** It's our last chapters in 13!**


	72. Chapter 72

"Mr. Finnick Odair! Back in the hospital wing again, I am," Johanna says with a sigh. She's lying on the hospital bed still wet from what happened on the Block.

"I heard," I tell her. I'm not really sure what else to say.

"I guess you're headed to the Capitol. Gonna shoot some Peacekeepers and such," she says, picking at the threads on her blanket.

"We'll miss you."

"No you won't. Quit lying."

"You are alive though. I'm putting my life back on the line," I protest.

"You get the opportunity to make a difference. To fight. To change the way things are. To do what I've wanted since I was ten and first heard the stupid concept of the Games. All of this while I sit in the hospital wing, moping around." She pauses. I'm about to step in but she keeps speaking. "The worst part is that I thought I could do this. I was given the chance, did all sorts of training, but little did I know that my one failure would be caused by the Capitol. That stupid place brings me more problems that I thought imaginable."

"Johanna, I'll fight. I promise."

"Even if it means never seeing this place again?" Johanna asks. It is the most edgy question and almost pushes me entirely over the edge.

"Would you?"

"Of course. But I don't have family or friends."

"I'm your friend."

"It's different. Now, would you?" I think about it for a while. Would I?

"No. I wouldn't."

"Was that your weakness? Annie?" She asks. I slowly nod.

"And it still is." I nod at that too.

"Good seeing you. Have fun," she says. I'm confused by that, but I leave because she wanted me too. I feel like I've left our relationship at a weird spot. Hopefully, I'll get to see her before I leave.

These plans don't work too well. We spend lots of time at training. When I'm done, I almost pass out of sleep exhaustion. Finally, it's the morning before we sleep out.

"I'll be back. I promise," I tell Annie, holding her close.

"Please," she whimpers. She's been crying all day. I've been avoiding the topic until now. That was probably a bad decision.

"I love you."

"I love you too." I give her a long kiss and then we sit holding each other in silence.

"I need to go," I tell her. As I pull away, she places some rock candies into my hand. The same thing I had when we first met. I smile a little. Without another word, I leave our room. We haven't even spoken about the thought that I won't come back. Maybe if I don't think about it, it won't happen. I only have one more spot to go before we leave. It's so early in the morning that no one is in the hallways.

"Johanna, can we talk?" I ask, poking my head into her room.

"Sure," she says.

"I just want you to know that I will miss you so much. You're my best friend that I've ever had, more than Daniel and Noah because we bond on a totally different level than anyone else-"

"Shut up, Finn," Johanna says.

"I know. I get it. Our relationship mostly consists of our banter and I have recognized the hidden meanings beneath it. You don't need to tell me. I get your decisions. I just wish I had the opportunity to make them. That's it," she explains. "Now, go get in your plane and kick some Capitol butt for me!"

"Of course," I tell her. I pull her into a hug, which I know she hates, but she actually does hug me back this time. We don't say goodbye. Never said it before, not going to now.

"See you later," she says as I close the door.

"See you too," I tell her.

Then, I head up to the top floor/ground level. We board on the helicopter and start our take off to the Capitol. I sit between Katniss and the window. No one on board says anything, but I know what we are all thinking.

This is it. The Star Squad is going into the Capitol.

And we all hope that we will all make it out alive.

But that won't happen.

**AHHHH! Poor Finnick. It's getting really hard to write these chapters. Three more chapters :( Please review both in today's mini marathon!**


	73. Chapter 73

We arrive in the rebel encampment, although it doesn't lead to any more excitement or anything else really. Every so often, we have to go out and shoot some targets for the cameras. Then we just hang out in the tent, never doing anything. Everything picks up rather fast though when Leeg 2 hits a pod. She's dead within seconds. We are promised a replacement.

None of us thought the replacement would be Peeta. No guards, nothing.

"It won't matter. The president assigned me herself. She decided the propos needed some heating up," Peeta says after he gets his number stamped. None of us make any move toward him. It's mostly just awkward. It does explain how he got sent before anyone else in 13 though. The president sent him. Katniss is worried about this. Boggs storms off with a phone pressed to his ear.

When he comes back, his face is still red and the vein on the side of his head is popping out. I'm awake all night. Katniss has a shift to guard him, so I decide to stay up with both of them. I brought my rope with me, but I decide to give it to Peeta. He probably needs it more, but he just lets it sit in his hands.

"These last couple of years must have been exhausting for you. Trying to decide whether to kill me or not. Back and forth. Back and forth," Peeta says.

"I never wanted to kill you. Except when I thought you were helping the Careers kill me. After that, I always thought of you as an ally," Katniss responds.

"Ally. Friend. Lover. Victor. Enemy. Fiancée. Target. Mutt. Neighbor. Hunter. Tribute. Ally. I'll add it to the list of words I try to use to figure you out. The problem is I can't tell what's real anymore and what's made up," Peeta says.

"Then you should ask Peeta. That's what Annie does," I tell him.

"Ask who? Who can I trust?" Peeta asks. Jackson pipes up.

"Well us for starters. We're your squad."

"You're my guards."

"That too. But you saved a lot of lives in Thirteen. That's something we don't forget," she says. Peeta is quiet for a while, considering.

"Your favorite color is green?"

"That's right. And yours is orange," Katniss responds.

"Orange?"

"Not bright. Like the sunset. That's what you told me once. You're a painter. You're a baker. You like to sleep with the windows open. And you always double knot your shoelaces." Katniss runs off and Peeta shrinks down in his sleeping gear. The next morning, we are called to film more propos of us shooting glass windows.

By the time we get back, Jackson has made up a game called Real or Not Real. We are split up for watches, each with a District 13 soldier. Gale takes first watch and I try to get the bit of sleep I can. I listen in to parts of the conversation. They are both asking and answering questions about 12. Then, it's my turn. Peeta asks me mostly about the games, considering I was there for both of them without being directly involved.

"I worked with the Careers."

"Real, but you didn't actually like them. You just wanted to keep them away from Katniss."

"I told Caesar I liked Katniss during our interview."

"Real."

"Katniss tried to kill me in my sleep."

"Not real. She slept the entire night with you."

"Katniss ran away from me."

"Real, but it was so she could keep you alive."

"Katniss wanted me to take the nightlock."

"Not real. She wanted both of you to do so and there would be no victor."

"Katniss is called the girl on fire."

"Real."

"Because she lights things on fire?"

"Not real. You were both dressed in flames in the tribute parade."

"I told Caesar that Katniss was pregnant."

"Real."

"She really was, but it died because she didn't want it."

"Not real. She wasn't at all, ever."

"You were there."

"Real."

"And a girl, um…Johanna?"

"Real."

"I was useless."

"Not real."

This conversation stops there. He doesn't have any more statements for me to confirm, so we just stay in the silence until my watch is over and I wake up Katniss.

Peeta has a lot of questions for her. I listen for a while. The questions seemingly never end.

The next morning, we are called up to film a real propo. This one has actual pods, but nothing too dangerous. Everyone is suited up, everyone in the squad. Then, we head out onto the square. Each of us have a section of windows to blow out, which is nothing too special, except for the fact that they fill the scene with smoke and the promises of louder special effects. Gale has to blow up a pod and we all duck.

"Pull it together 451!" Boggs says as he checks the other pods. We've been having an okay time with the acting thing.

He triggers a bomb and it blows off his legs. Then, another explosion sounds. I think Katniss went to him.

"Prepare to retreat!" Jackson yells.

"Gas! Can't go back!" I yell back. I'm closest to the camp, so I can see the stuff spilling through the streets. It's probably not gas, but I don't know another word. I just know it's lethal. Another explosion goes off and I decide to run over with the rest of them. I arrive just in time to see Mitchell's death. From the looks on Katniss' face, Peeta killed him by pushing him into the pod.

I turn around to see the black gas wave rising up above us. It's a mess as we enter into an empty apartment. I carry Mesalla in with me because we were both together at the end of the street. Katniss is crying over Boggs, who is whispering out his last words to her.

"He's gone?" I ask. Katniss nods. "We need to get out of here. Now. We just set off a streetful of pods. You can bet they've got us on surveillance tapes."

"Our radio communicators went dead almost immediately. Probably an electromagnetic pulse device. But I'll get us back to camp. Give me the Holo," Jackson says, reaching for it.

"No. Boggs gave it to me," Katniss says, bringing it closer to her.

"Don't be ridiculous," she responds.

"It's true. He transferred the prime security clearance to her while he was dying. I saw it," Homes says. I watch as Jackson and Katniss fight over the rightful leader. I really don't want to get in the middle of it.

"We have to go! I'm following Katniss. If you don't want to, head back to camp. But let's move!" Gale says, finally putting us all back into shape. Maybe he should lead us. Homes gets Peeta out of the closet.

"Boggs?" Leeg 1 asks.

"We can't take him. He'd understand. Lead on, Soldier Everdeen," I say, taking the gun from Boggs and putting it on my back. Katniss commands us to put our masks on. I put Peeta's on for him after mine. The gas was meant to suffocate us. We make our way through a courtyard where Katniss asks if we want to leave. The idea of taking the offer doesn't even cross my mind.

The next apartment looks exactly like the last one and we settle down in the living space. The television turns on and we all jump with the idea of motion sensors. Cressida tells us that all televisions in the Capitol would be doing this and that we are okay.

Then, I watch myself die.

At least according to the reports. Everyone else is also reportedly dead. They keep repeating that Katniss has died. I wonder what is going through the people in Thirteen's head. Annie? Johanna? Are they lost with the thoughts of my death? Or do they still hold onto some amount of hope? What is everyone doing in the control room? It's just like the Games, thinking about what your friends and family think about you killing another person. Maybe it will numb out. Probably not.

"So now that we're dead, what's our next move?" Gale asks as we watch the reports. We've already heard everything. After all, we were there.

"Isn't it obvious?" Peeta says. I didn't even think he was conscious. "Our next move is to kill me."

**Two more chapters! This is 19-20 in the book, the next chapter will be 21-22, and then we have...well...the end (I'm avoiding that in my head). Can you believe that this story has 74 chapters? I've been working on this since December of 2011, so this has been quite a work in progress. Thanks for sticking with me :)**

**But, we aren't over yet! Make sure to review :)**

**Also, I need baby name suggestions for their child (when I write the AU where he lives). I'm terrible with names, so start sending me some! **


	74. Chapter 74

"You pushed him off you. You couldn't have known that would trigger the net at that exact spot," I tell Peeta after his death request.

"Who cares? He's dead, isn't he? I don't know. I've never seen myself like that before. Katniss is right. I'm the monster. I'm the mutt. I'm the one Snow has turned into a weapon!" Peeta cries.

"It's not your fault," I tell him.

"You can't take me with you. It's only a matter of time before I kill someone else. Maybe you think it's kinder to just dump me somewhere. Let me take my chances. But that's the same thing as handing me over to the Capitol. Do you think you'd be doing me a favor by handing me back to Snow?" Peeta asks.

"I'll kill you before that happens, promise," Gale says.

"It's no good. What if you're not there to do it? I want one of those poison pills like the rest of you guys have," Peeta says. The poison pills. I have one resting in a pocket of my suit that I hope never to use.

"It's not about you. We're on a mission. And you're necessary to it. Think we might find some food here?" Katniss asks. We split up into two groups – one who stays with Peeta and the other who raids the apartment. I stay with Peeta. It seems like the best I could do to keep him calm. Both Katniss and Gale go look for food. They come back soon with cans of lamb stew and we all eat, until the television turns back on, loudly.

I get to see myself die.

In the same way that the tributes are broadcast onto the sky of the arena, we are presented. My name comes up in the little rectangle with the number four beside it. The original picture I took when I was fifteen in the arena is above the words. Snow happily delivers another speech about how the war is turning in their favor and will soon be over with the rebels' leader dead. I can't help but stare at Katniss, full and alive, sitting on the ground in front of me. Then, it's to Coin back in 13. Even she believes that Katniss is dead, delivering a speech that is easily scripted.

"I had no idea how much I meant to her," Katniss says. It's true.

"Tomorrow morning, when we pull Katniss Everdeen's body from the ashes, we will see exactly who the Mockingjay is. A dead girl who could save no one, not even herself," President Snow closes. The seal comes up and the screen goes dead.

"Except that you won't find her," I say.

"We can get a head start on them at least," Katniss says, picking herself up off the ground. "Any ideas?" She's a true leader now. This is what I fought for, Katniss standing her, truly recognizing her possibilities.

"Why don't we start by ruling out possibilities. The street is not one of them," I start.

"The rooftops are just as bad."

"We might be able to withdraw, but that would mean a failed mission."

"It was never intended for all of you to go forward. You just had the misfortune to be with me," Katniss shrugs.

"We're with you now. We can't stay put. That leaves one option."

"Underground," Gale fills in.

"Okay then. Let's make it look like we've never been here," Katniss leads us. We put our cans in the trash chute, flip sofa curtains, wipe up the floors, and lock the door. Once we've finished, Peeta still is stuck on the couch.

"I'm not going. I'll either disclose your position or hurt someone else," Peeta protests.

"Snow's people will find you," I remind him.

"Then leave me a pill. I'll take it if I have to," Peeta says.

"That's not an option. Come along," Jackson says.

"Or what? You'll shoot me?"

"We'll knock you out and drag you with us which will both slow us down and endanger us," Homes says.

"Stop being noble! I don't care if I die! Katniss, please. Don't you see, I want to be out of this?" Peeta turns to Katniss.

"We're wasting time! Are you coming voluntarily or should we knock you out?" Katniss asks. Peeta joins us after a moment of thinking. His cuffs still remain on, but the key is passed to Katniss. We begin to head down the maintenance shaft, one by one, until we have all gathered in the second apartment. This apartment has an entrance to the tube. It is easy to unlatch the tube after some comments from Messalla about the inner workings of Capitol apartment buying.

One by one again, we climb down the ladder. We wait there for everyone to gather, slowly adjusting to the dim lights. We head down through the tunnels, dark and dismal. We walk for six hours until its three in the morning, although sunlight isn't a factor down here.

"Should we rest?" Katniss asks from the front of the pack.

"Yes," we all agree in unison. Pollux finds a mechanical room. We all huddle in the small space together. We divide up watch shifts. I get the last hour. We can only be here for four.

I put myself in the corner at the back of the room, probably not the safest escape, but the only place I know I'll be able asleep. My body is so exhausted that it comes easily.

I dream of home, before all this. Home before I was reaped. Playing in the water on the weekends, without really caring about the world at all. Daniel and Noah dared me to jump into the water from a cliff at the very edge of the beach. They had already done it – those crazy kids – and were cheering me on from the water below. I didn't really have much choice because if I didn't do it by my free will, they would probably just push me.

The strange thing was that I wanted to jump, so badly. So I did.

Falling from the cliff wasn't that terrible, making sure I didn't hit a rock was harder. I landed in the water with a loud splash; Noah and Daniel jumping on my back, pushing each other underneath. My mom is calling me in, I think, except it's not her name she's calling.

"Katniss! Katniss!" She shouts.

That isn't a dream though. I wake up suddenly to find Peeta yelling for Katniss to run, debating if we should break up. It's not hard to figure out what is going on with everyone speaking about the mutts outside the door. Katniss divides our weapons. I give one of my guns to Castor. I'm still left with another and my special trident.

Once we are outside, they are quite a way behind us, but we still need to keep moving. Then, the screams come, nasty and horrible. Peeta explains that they are Avox screams. We run faster, pulling on our gas masks. I know that smell. Roses. The mark of Snow. They've found us. They know we aren't dead. We're screwed.

We run out of the Transfer and Katniss shoots at the pods. Beneath us is a meat grinder. I see a pod in front of us, before we reach the meat grinder.

"Katniss!" I shut, pulling her back from the pod. She whips around with her arrow, but it's too late to do anything. Messalla's triggered it and dying a very painful death.

We keep running. Shots are fired by Peacekeepers in front of us. I'm at the front of the pack now, which means I get the misfortune of seeing the mutts first.

We've been shooting at the Peacekeepers for a while, watching them as they fall. That isn't a big deal, but the reptiles that come from behind them are. They are probably the worst looking creature I've seen in all my years of the arena. Beginning on two legs, they rip off the heads of the remaining Peacekeepers, then head toward us on all four legs.

**One more chapter! I'm going to be a wreck during the writing of the next one. I was a wreck writing this one! We've reached almost 75 chapters, which is INSANE that I wrote that many words, and even crazier that you guys read it! Anyway, I have actual business to attend to in this Author's Note:**

**1. I have two questions that I need your help to answer! Both of these are very important, so please leave them in a review or PM me. And they are:**

**a. What do you want Finnick's son to be named? I know a lot of people have named him Finn, but I want to know if you have any other opinions.**

**b. For the last chapter after Finnick's...um...death (I choose to deny it in my head), would you like an AU where he is alive or his view after (he's still dead, but looking down on the same events after his death, hopefully that makes sense)? **

**2. The last chapter of his life will be up this Sunday and the other chapter (which you need to vote on!) will be up some time the next week. Between the two will be the acknowledgments. I have a lot, but this story has been through a lot as well!**

**3. For this acknowledgments, I really want to do something special for this story since it's been so long in the progress. For this, I want to know how many of you have a tumblr! You can just tell me in your review, or PM me. I haven't completely worked everything out for this, but please let me know if you have one (and if you want) what your's is. *mine is .com***

**4. Wrapping up this extensive list, Foxface will not be updated for a while since I'm putting everything I have into this story (and my original novel). I also have another Fanfiction on my tumblr which is about the Hunger Games cast going to Disney World. I'm not sure if I'll be putting another story up on my FF account, but if you want more, just add me to your author alerts (which a lot of you have already done and I literally say thank you every time you do)! **

**That's it. Hopefully. **

**Make sure to review and talk to me about topics 1 and 3! Thank you all for reading. **


	75. Chapter 75

I'm struck by fear until I can finally gain control of myself. Katniss fires next to me, managing to take out one. We can't kill them all. The stream is constant, still coming from all sides over the mangled bodies of the former Peacekeepers.

I push Katniss into the ladder, hoping she gets the idea. Out of the corner of my eye, I can begin to see her make her way upwards. To safety. Saving the Mockingjay is what I must do now.

I've decided it then, as I watch a few more people scramble up. Peeta. Gale. Cressida.

I will stay down here. I will keep the mutts off of their trail for as long as I can. I will keep the mockingjay alive, just as I promised before I went into the arena. I think that contract ended once it blew up, but I knew that it was just the beginning. If now, it means more than ever.

I will die today.

It's a hard feeling to come to terms with, especially when the monsters are descending upon you. Everyone has already made their way up the ladder. I could make a break for it. Try to get up. My eyes keep switching between the empty rungs and the monsters in front of me. I fight back tears and the choke in my throat.

I'm laughing. I was supposed to be dead a long time ago. By even being in the Games, I was supposed to be dead. Why am I avoiding it now? Running is futile. It will happen eventually. I've known that since I was fifteen. Only now does it actually mean something to me. The least I can do is die for a future. One that I never thought I was going to get.

They're here. The mutts are here to collect my body. This is it.

I don't cry as it happens, really. It's mostly just a blur. I know they have me in their hold now. I know that the mutts surround me. I know that there's probably at least four of them. I know that I scream.

A light shines down on me from below and I desperately wish they aren't waiting for me, only to see my death. Of all things that I haven't been allowed privacy, I wished my death would be one of them. I thought that would be a benefit of not dying the arena.

"Nightlock," Katniss whispers. I don't think it's supposed to be a reminder to me, but I take it anyway. Maybe the little pill could take away some of the pain of death. One of the beasts pulls my head back and another one steps forward to my neck. I grab the nightlock pill in my suit with my teeth. It slides into my mouth at the same time the beast takes the bite at the same time the explosion goes off.

_We head on the train stations as we pull away. The last thing I see of District 4 is the ocean with my dad's crabbing boat floating in the middle of it. My mentor comes in, an older middle aged lady, named Mags._

_I grab my silver parachute, open it, and find a trident. It has to have cost a ton of money. I must have sponsors._

_Mags comes in. She is smiling just a grandmother would. "You did really good Finnick. So strong and you played the game amazingly. I was so nervous up in the control room." I realize I am going to have to be a mentor. It freaks me out that now I have to do this every year. Watching people die is not high on my list of things to do. In fact, it isn't on there! She hugs me and leaves._

_"It's okay. I'm Annie Cresta."_

_"Congratulations to the winner of the 70th Hunger Games, Annie Cresta of District 4!"_

_That year of the 71st Hunger Games, I am the first mentor to bring home victors in back to back years._

_"What are you putting on your face?" I ask her. She is applying some kind of weird bronze colored powder that makes her looks tanner. "Bronzer. I'm in District 4; I need to have a tan!" Tabia exclaims, like I am stupid for not doing it either._

_"This is the new trident I made you, totally advanced," he tells me. "Don't hit any of the buttons." I stand in awe, looking up and down the weapon. It's gorgeous, the metal painted a silvery blue color. I haven't seen a trident this perfect since the one I saw in my first games and that might just have been in the euphoria that I got a weapon, a trident, something I knew how to fight with and that I actually might be able to pull this winning thing off._

_Annie comes through the doors next. She's beautiful in a green dress that makes her eyes shine brighter and her hair compliments it perfectly. I'm too caught up in the moment to listen as the vows start._

_We start sailing across the water. Annie runs over to the side, watching the boat cut across the water. When she looks back to me, I can see the happiness in her eyes. The first time I was on a boat, I was enchanted by the way the boat swam along the waters. _

_I still am now. _


	76. Chapter 76: Author's Note

We've done it! This fanfiction, which has been my child since December 22nd 2011, has come to a close. It's sad. Like, super sad. This story has 81K words! I wrote 81k+ words about Finnick and you read them! WHAT?

Here's some facts for you about this (as of 8/18/13), that only YOU (yes you) made possible:

81K words +

212 Reviews.

80 favorites

65 follows

2 years, 9 months in progress

77 chapters

Those are now my favorite numbers and I don't even like math. Honestly, I wrote the first chapter before the Hunger Games was even out, and now as I reread about who we all wanted to be Finnick and almost none of you saying Sam Claflin, to having seen him as Finnick and majorly fangirling because THAT MAN IS FINNICK. It's insane.

To those of you that read the first chapter and continued all the way through – omg, that. I don't care if you started in 2011 until now or if you just read them all right now. That's insane. So, thanks for that.

To Coydog22, my first reviewer. Without you, I sincerely doubt this story would've continued on in the way it did. So, that's cool.

To randomrandoms14, who introduced me to the fanfiction world. You've turned me into a writing monster and I could never thank you enough for that.

To every single one of you who reviewed. Every comment (even the ones who didn't like the story) makes me prouder of this story. And to the people who didn't like it, well, you read it and it made you have opinions on it.

Anyone remember when I did contests? Yep, those were insane on this end. But if you competed in them, congrats. That trivia was tough.

To those of you who had to put up with my very long writing hiatuses. I'm sorry for all of them and there were a lot. Hopefully it was worth it.

To those of you who PMed me. I now consider you my internet best friend, whether you like it or not.

To those of you who just found this after it's been finished, WHOA you found this story among all the others on this website! Hi! Hope you've enjoyed it.

This might sound stupid, but writing this is like closing a chapter of my life. Through everything that happened, I had Finnick to come back too. Through this journey, I've learned so much about him as a character and who he is and why the Hunger Games means so much to me. Hopefully, you found some of that too.

I don't know what's coming next and I don't have some crazy announcement about a one-shot or a new POV, so sorry. If you want to read Life and Story of Foxface, the first three chapters are up. It's dramatic and kind of AU until we get into the arena, which I'm having a lot of fun writing. I promise that I will keep writing more, though. *heart*

I guess that's it then. Bye, guys.

And as always…

Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!

*curls up into a ball and cries eyes out*

In other words, we have one more chapter, in which Finnick is alive! And his child is going to be named…

nope I'll wait until then to tell you!

Until then (which will probably be sometime next week – maybe Tuesday because school starts), let me know your overall opinions on this story by reviewing this chapter.

I don't know how to end this.

So, bye…

Xoxo Mikayla


	77. Chapter 77: AU

**11 years later**

Today begins the first day of our son Noah's first day of the sixth grade. This is also the day of the beginning of the year in which the Hunger Games are first introduced to the class. Strangely enough, he's twelve years old. Eleven years ago, this would've been the day we took him to get signed up for the reaping.

Annie sends him out the door and into the streets of Benyu or district four as it was called. All the districts were renamed after the rebellion was over. District 4 had been mostly destroyed in a series of bomb attacks at the very end of the war, but was now the rebuilding has been almost complete.

"We should probably head off to work now," Annie says as she wipes down the breakfast table.

"Yep," I say. As I pass, I give her a quick kiss on the cheek, wrapping my arm around her waist. We collect our things and head through the streets.

Once everything was rebuilt, we were given first choice on where to live, what job we wanted. We moved as far away from the Victor's Village as possible, across town into some land that was taken from nine. This does mean that going to work every morning is quite a stretch, but it gives us some time to talk.

"I need to tell you something," Annie says as we walk. Her voice quavers and breaks halfway through.

"What? You know you can tell me anything," I say. We don't stop on our path yet. We've been taking consoling for three years until we were considered healthful enough to live amongst the people. It was with the same doctor that helped Johanna, who is now a big government official, eagerly protesting bills with harsh insults and a handful of curse words. That meant we had to live in Knia, district seven.

"Okay, then." Annie pauses. "I don't really have a good intro to this, so I'll just tell you. I'm pregnant, again!"

"Really? Annie, that's great! Noah's going to have a sibling, a younger brother or sister!" I shout. It's probably loud enough for the whole town to know, but I don't care.

"Actually, I've been seeing the doctor for a while now," Annie explains, biting her lip. If anything remains after the games, it's the paranoia. Annie goes to the doctor almost obsessively and any announcement comes only after long periods of making sure that what we think will happen will. Stability is important. "And it's not only one… it's two. I'm having twins."

"That's…great! Fantastic!" I say, hoping I can cover my slight fear. Yes, I'm happy, but I'm also a little daunted by the idea of two babies and three children. Noah can be a handful sometimes.

"I've been thinking about names, if you don't mind."

"Oh, yeah. You know how terrible I am with names anyway!"

"You did want to name our boy Finnick Junior," Annie laughs.

"The name was significant!" I protest, laughing with her.

"And sounds terrible. So, the names. What about Dylan and Audrey?"

"Dylan, Audrey, and Noah. I like it," I say. Annie nods.

"Good."

We arrive at the candy store and Annie unlocks the door. One thing that we asked to be kept the same was the candy store where we met. It looks exactly the same, from the color of the walls to the font on the sign outside, to the organization of candies on the wall.

"I happen to have some news too," I tell her. We enter into the backroom with our two desks and begin to spread out the day's work. "Katniss and Peeta are coming in this weekend!" Annie's face lights up at first, then tones down.

"You should've told me sooner. Where will we put them in the house?" She asks, taking a seat at her desk on the opposite side of the room.

"I don't know. It will work out. I promise," I say. I push my chair over to that end of the room, just as the bell rings at the front of the store that Daniel is here to work. Daniel Jr. is Daniel's son. He got away with the junior names.

"Good," Annie breathes. I give her another long kiss, before we break apart with the announcement of another person.

"I should probably go see what's up," I tell her, getting up to go over to the door.

"Stay? Please?" She asks. Even with my back turned to her, I can hear the want in her voice. And who would I be to say no?

"Of course. I'll always stay."

**There it is, the official last chapter! I would like to thank parachute hearts for the name of their son, Noah! I hope you enjoyed this AU. **

**Even though this story is over, feel free to message me whenever! I love you guys! :)**

**Thanks for reading and make sure to review! **

**...and I'm sad again for ending this...**


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